Owl
by Syberian
Summary: Zer0 assumed it was completely accidental. Athena didn't mean to fall asleep in the same bed as him. However, it set in motion an array of events and emotions that would redesign the rest of his life. [Zer0/Athena] [Story completed]
1. Chapter 1

The figure behind him was undoubtedly feminine. The body shape was too curvaceous to be a man. The arm slunk across his chest was too small to be male also, not robust enough to hold the muscles that men normally had. Her height overall gave away that she was feminine, unless it was Salvador pulling a trick. But Zer0 knew it wasn't, the clues clearly deducted that whoever was holding him was a female. But who?

The one day he decided to actually fall asleep in the compound of the Crimson Raider HQ, someone had climbed into his bunk with him, whether it be accidental or purposeful, and had fallen asleep holding him.

Initially, he was tensed and set off at the slightest move of the arm around his chest, waiting for a digistructed knife to be pulled out. But whoever it was who held him just held them close to them, fitting her body into his slightly curled form. A small snore escaped her every once in a while; no doubt she had fallen into a deep sleep. Any chance of movement from him would entice the arm around him to hold him tighter to the point where he thought his ribs would crack from the strength. He couldn't turn around or look down as the arm would simply tighten around him to hold him on place. He was frustrated as he was used to being able to move around, not confined to one place for too long without concentration. But the snoring, the warm feeling of another body pressed against his back, and his heightened senses made it impossible to concentrate and fall asleep in hopes that whoever held him would be gone when he woke up.

Zer0 couldn't even wake her up either. Any attempt to shake her awake simply led to his ribs becoming more potent to cracking. Any attempts to reach behind him to push her off made her move closer, clearly not wanting to leave him. Any attempts to move out of her arms led to, as previously stated, his ribs becoming more potent to crack and a less of a chance to escape. His ECHO recorder was across the room on the couch so he had no chance of grabbing it to call up one of the Vault Hunters who were out. He was only allowed to simply lay there and become this woman's "cuddle toy".

Speaking of "this woman". Who was she?

Maya?

_Couldn't be, she's out/ Currently raiding a camp/ Krieg is with her, too._

That deducted Maya from the equation. Zer0 doubted she even had to strength to hold such a strong grip on him, but he didn't doubt her siren powers giving her a helpful hand in it. Besides, if Zer0 knew the Psycho, Krieg simply would not leave her alone for more than 10 minutes without him being at her side. There was something special that glinted in the large, robust insane man's eyes whenever he spotted the young Siren. Love, perhaps? Most likely.

Then, could it be Lilith?

_Her? A thing for me?/ No, she has a thing for Brick/ She speaks nice of him._

Both Sirens were deducted then. It was true that Lilith could be the person holding him, but she didn't exactly 'like' him that _way_. The two of them were close, yes, but not to the point where emotions would play a part in it. Lilith even confided in him that she enjoyed Brick's company, and liked him. Maybe even _loved_ him. So it could not be Lilith.

Gaige, perhaps?

_She's out with Deathtrap/ I doubt she has enough strength, too/ She couldn't hold me._

The young adult- only 18 - was currently a bright young woman. However, she showed no direct interest in him before, so that left her out of the equation. Unless she was holding him with her robot arm, which the arm that currently held him pulsed with warmth, there was no way she would be able to hold him this tightly.

Then, maybe, Tannis?

_No._

The... vibrant woman was certainly knowledgeable in many categories. However, Zer0 knew that she wasn't good with physical interaction and wouldn't dare do _this_ without hesitations in a large degree. Yes, she had asked about his anatomy and which species he was and such, but he knew that she never wanted this sort of _relationship_ with him. Not that he minded of course.

Who could be left then? Moxxi was out at Ellie's in an attempt to mend the break in their relationship. Almost no Sanctuary citizens approached him, unless they were asking him questions in a drunken stupor. Then who could it-

The arm loosened and slid itself down to his stomach before resting its hand over his stomach plates. He could move slightly now, and he took his chance. He turned him head around to try take a look at the woman who had held him against her for the past few hours. Only when he was barely up was the arm suddenly back around his chest and holding him against his will once again.

_Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit/ Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit/ Shit, shit, SHIT, SHIT, SHIT!_

So close, but so far away of course. His curiosity was truly getting the best of him now as his thoughts wondered once again to whom was holding him. He began to think of the way she was holding him.

The arm was strewn across his chest was no doubt in a protective, possessive manner. It was muscular as well, scars lain across the surface of the tanned skin from what his peripheral vision allowed him to see. The fingers splayed across his chest to allow her to push him against her easier. He couldn't see past her wrist as the darkness of the room didn't allow it. She had molded her body against his, forming it into his rested form. Her face was pressed in between his shoulder blades, forehead resting across the nape of his neck. Knees were barely touching the back of his thighs.

_She's short._

He was abnormally tall, but she was much shorter than him. A foot? Maybe even more.

_Well it is something/ To go on with this name game/ But it barely helps._

As he continued to draw this woman in his mind, he continued down to her legs. Her bottom leg was laying flat against the bed whereas the other was resting across his own in a possessive manner. Her body language told him that she did not want him to move, it was a simply explanation. There were multiple theories as to why:

She didn't want him to move, possible her instincts told her that she had to hold onto him so that he wouldn't be in danger. Almost in a motherly, or sibling-like, manner. Her arms and legs would definitely suggest this as they were locking him in place, making it close to impossible for movement to come from him.

She was worried and kept him close so that she could keep an eye on him. Again, her limbs would suggest this and also her head placement. Placed across his upper back and lower neck, she had access to arms so that he could not simply push her away. An undeniably theory, but with holes in it.

Or she could've just simply gotten into the wrong bunk and passed out before realizing her mistake. Accidentally holding onto him like a plush doll.

_Hmm..._

The arm moved again. Stretching her whole arm across his chest to get a better grip in holding him. More scars, more tanned skin. Same old, same- What is this?

A black tattoo shaped like an... owl? Which woman in Sanctuary, or all of Pandora, had a tattoo shaped like a strange, deformed owl?

Zer0's thoughts raced. The woman wasn't from Sanctuary, he would've recognized her. She couldn't be from the surrounding areas, it was too cold for the sun to properly tan her skin to this amount. She was a traveler, but she was here for a reason. Perhaps captured by the Raide-

It popped into his head quickly. If he could see his mask, there would probably be a red '!' on it.

This woman was none other than Athena, the Gladiatrix the Raiders had hunted down and captured. He had seen her a few times around Sanctuary since the halt in her execution by the mysterious Eridian. She was a mature, serious young woman. Undoubtedly, a haunted past that she refused to talk about. A worthy opponent for any enemy. A beautiful maiden who refused to acknowledge her own beaut- What is he thinking?

He shook his head and continued to think about why she was holding him.

Could it be she possibly just slipped into his bunk on accident? It was quite possibly, he rarely saw her sleep in the few weeks she had been here. The few times he did, it was quick 15-30 minute rest and she was back on her feet quick as a flash.

But why the possessive arm and leg placement? He couldn't place that, unless it had something to do with her past. But he knew she wouldn't dare talk about that to anyone- no less him.

He could possibly try to wake her up now, maybe hearing her name would rouse her from her slumber.

"Athena."

No response other than a slight snore.

"Athena?"

A slight mumbling from his neck and a tighter, but undeniably gentler, hold on his chest.

"Athena..."

A nuzzle against the leather plates on the back of his neck and with that she seemed to be in a deeper slumber than before.

He let out a frustrated groan and settled back against the mattress, finally allowing himself to be willingly held by this woman. Ironic how he, the assassin, was being forced to stay still against his will by her, an ex-assassin. He almost chuckled at this thought, before his eyes began to stray around the room.

His ECHO recorder was still placed in the exact spot as it was before: on the couch. However, as he looked closely he could see another ECHO recorder, alongside a small pile of rusty red colored, weathered armor plating. There was a shoulder guard, a piece of flexible metal to wrap around someone's thigh, combat boots, a black glove, a dark gray glove with a large,red contraption connected to the wrist, and a flexible leather chest-guard. If only he had been paying more attention to his surroundings he would've caught on quicker to whom his holder was.

Speaking of surroundings...

He looked outside and saw it was close to evening time, perhaps it was about 41 hours into Pandora's day cycle before the 46 hours of night would come. It was strange how Pandora had a 92 hour day/night cycle and Zer0 still couldn't get used to the long days and nights. A good time to go to sleep no less.

He heard more mumbling behind him, before Athena nuzzled her face once again into the back of his neck.

He sighed and accepted his fate.

Zer0 hoped she would wake soon.

There was explaining to do on her part.

**Author's Note****: Should I make a Chapter 2? This is based off a headcanon that I created on my blog (you can go see that and others if you want) and I thought it would make a nice story. Thanks for reading.**

**Update 11/19: Fixed grammar mistakes and added a few extra words in.**


	2. Chapter 2

Thirty hours.

Thirty _fucking_ hours of lying perfectly still.

It must've been almost half the way done with Pandora's night cycle and the young Gladiatrix was still snoring against his back, arms tight around him, sleeping soundly. How she managed to sleep so long was beyond Zer0. He could barely manage to sleep for 5 hours without waking up. However, here she was.

Zer0's limbs had long since fallen asleep due to the inactivity of them. His arms tingled whenever Athena's grasp grew tighter or softened. If she accidentally brushed them while trying to get a better grip on his chest it felt as if someone was penetrating needles against his flesh. His legs weren't any better. Sometimes she would move her own leg further down or up in an attempt to be more comfortable, unaware of the painful effect she was placing on him. Luckily, his torso hadn't fallen asleep or else it would be in more pain due to her constant changes in how she held him. Athena probably factored into why his whole chest and stomach area weren't dead asleep, like his limbs, due to her movements while, she herself was, asleep. Zer0 had given up trying to keep his limbs awake when he realized that she probably wasn't going to wake up anytime soon.

Not that that bothered him much. He actually found solace in the feeling of being held. It calmed him, surprisingly. To feel arms wrapped tight around him, body warmth being shared with him, someone trying to keep him from moving actually brought him comfort. Though she was asleep, Zer0 could tell Athena enjoyed holding him. Sometimes a soft sigh would escape her lips before she moved closer in an attempt to feel his body held by her arms. Her face nuzzled in between his shoulder blades every now and again, sending shivers up his spine and across his back. Athena's other arm had joined the first in holding his chest at about the 17 hour mark. Now, if he tried hard enough, he felt a heartbeat against his middle back. No doubt her's, who's else would it be? It was slow, methodical, and overall gave a sense of serenity. It also reminded Zer0 that this woman, who had almost single-handedly taken down an entire gun manufacturing corporation, this woman who had opened a Vault on the moon of Pandora, this woman who had played a hand in bringing Jack into power, was also human.

It was strange if you thought about it, how a human being could do so much. Athena was proof of it. Raised up in the corporation she destroyed, she became the top operative of the Lance. He didn't know why, she never mentioned the reason for it to the original Vault Hunters or him and his friends, but she decided to take down the corporation. Soon after, she became a hired gun, needing money for food. She accepted a job offer from Jack, a low programmer in Hyperion at the time, and opened the Vault the Elpis. Of course, along the way she also brought Jack into power and helped create many of the Hyperion bots that Zer0 and his friends fought daily. Constructors, EXP Loaders, GUN Loaders, many of them had her hand in making. But no matter what, he still had a deep-founded respect for her. She was desperate, he would probably make the same choice if it were him. She made mistakes, yes, but she couldn't be blamed for it all.

A strange sound came from her mouth before she pulled him back and pushed herself forward in an attempt to create less space between them.

_Adorable._

Wait what? He could not be thinking of this right now. So he pushed it off to the back of his mind, instead focusing on finding the serene heartbeat placed against his back.

It took him a few moments, but eventually he found it. It was going slightly faster now. Could she be possibly having a nightmare? It would be logical as she held him tight and securely as if he were an anchor in her dreams. Another movement from her shot prickly needles throughout his left arm and he choked back a groan.

Zer0 looked down at the arm which had caused his pain, dangerously, as if it was watching him stare. The tanned, muscular skin was thick in scars. Similar to never explaining her past, Athena never gave an explanation to why she was so heavily laden with scars. Some were jagged and thick, as if caused by a rusty knife. Others were thin and straight, almost like it was done purposefully with precise accuracy. Zer0 could sometimes catch flecks of triangular shaped scars shaped across her upper arm and sometimes her neck whenever she wore her scarf down. Most likely shrapnel from an explosion blast, possibly a grenade. Definitely badges of a warrior. He would know, he probably had as many scars as she did.

The arm stiffened, as he was in deep thought, and suddenly tightened around his chest to the point where he could barely breath. Zer0 choked out a gasp and had to control himself from not breaking her arm right there to escape her grip. The heartbeat against his back was suddenly erratic, her breathing quick and uneven, her body slightly shaking. He couldn't see her, but he would sure she was covered in a cold sweat.

_A nightmare. Poor girl/ She has to fight this one now/ Or else she'll wake up._

It took a few minutes before Athena calmed down. She let out a groan and loosened her grip on his chest, allowing his lungs access to breath. She began to breath in deep, erratic breaths before she calmed down and her breathing became shallow and light again. Her heartbeat softened down to its original slow tempo.

_She's calmed down now, good/ She almost cut off my air/ She has a strong grip._

Zer0 began to wonder what her nightmare was about.

Curiously, Zer0 suddenly began to turn around. He had attempted it before, but her arms had stopped him in his place. His arms and legs screeched in protest as needles pricked his skin over and over in an attempt to cause him enough pain to stop him. This did not deter him however, and he managed to fully turn around in her grasp, surprised that she didn't try to stop him like usual.

What he saw slightly shocked him.

Athena only wore the red and black shirt that was underneath her vest and chest-guard along with her dark gray, weathered pants. Her scarf was probably placed in the pile of armor so that it would not scratch at her neck uncomfortably during sleep. Her mouth was slightly parted as she breathed in and out. Her black-blue hair was fanned across her face, some of it getting in her eyes while she slept. A small sheen of sweat was on her forehead, causing some of her locks to be stuck. There was no doubt that she had fallen back into a peaceful sleep, as shown with how she was breathing calmly and collectively. But the aftermath of the nightmare was still apparent also, as shown when her body would sometimes let out a shake, as if scared.

Zer0 gently lifted his hand and brushed her hair out of her eyes and off her forehead, tucking it behind her ear. He took a good look at her face. A small scar underneath her chin and, as he expected, a small series of visible triangular shaped flecks across her neck leading over to her right shoulder. Her red lips slightly parted, letting out a hot breath every few seconds. Zer0 suspected that if he leaned in close enough a mist would form on his mask from the hot air. Her eyes were gently closed showing that she was, indeed, asleep. Her forehead and cheeks were covered in a light sheen of sweat that Zer0 could see from the light of the middle table of the command center in the next room.

Zer0 suddenly felt a little anxious. What if she caught him staring at her while she slept? No, that didn't sit well with him. He began to turn around once more, his limbs still barking at him for the movements that they disliked. The arms that had fallen to her sides when he moved were suddenly slithered back across his chest as she pulled him against her.

Same old, same old.

Or was it?

A sudden gurgle noise came from her throat, and her hands curled into fists. Zer0 began to worry that she was having another nightmare, until he heard a moan come from her.

Her leg unwrapped itself from on top of his and returned back to its place by her other. She kept her face hidden in between his shoulder blades as she fought the sleep out of her eyes, arms still tight around his chest.

_She does not realize/ That what she is holding is me/ Hmm, peculiar._

As soon as that thought popped up, her arms and hands stiffened. She slowly spread her fingers apart and began to move her hand across his chest, before stopping over his heart. She kept her hand there, breathing hitched.

Eventually she unwrapped her arms around his chest and sat up, placing her elbows on her knees as she faced away from the prone assassin.

"Who are you?"

Zer0 wasn't very surprised. He had ran this scenario in his mind over and over again while she slept.

"Zer0, don't worry/ You fell asleep in my bunk/ While I was inside."

He couldn't see her face, but could tell she was anxious. From what he could see, she was anxiously tapping her index finger and middle finger against her knee, obviously a nervous tic on her part.

"Please, I assure you/ Nothing happened while you slept/ I would not do that."

A moment of silence.

"Okay, I trust you."

Zer0 suddenly realized he was holding in his breath and let out a sigh of relief. Athena began to get up, the darkened room made it hard for Zer0 to follow her with his eyes so he relied on his hearing to listen to where she was going.

Athena made her way over to the doorway leading to the command center and looked out the sky. From the light shining from the room, Zer0 could clearly see her stout figure in the doorway, looking out towards the balcony. She let out an unimpressed noise and walked back over to the bunk where she sat down on the edge.

"I'm sorry that I slept in your bunk while you were in it," she apologized.

"It's fine Athena/ You hadn't any control/ While you were asleep."

She nodded and leaned her back against the wall, closing her eyes while she did so. Zer0 eventually sat up and began to rub his forearms in an attempt to wake them up. Athena seemed to notice.

"What happened?"

"You held onto me/ For so long, my arms and legs/ Fell asleep, sadly."

"Rub your arms up and down, it helps get the blood into them faster."

He did as suggested and soon he had feeling back in his arms.

_Don't forget, she had a nightmare_.

Zer0 looked up at her face, partially glowing in the light. She was staring at the doorway, looking out from the balcony in the sky. Her blue gray eyes darkened from the lack of light to a dark grey, intimidating no less.

"You had a nightmare/ Can I ask about it, please?/ If you do not mind."

Athena leaned forward, eyes betraying that she was deep in thought. They quickly flashed over towards where he small pile of armor was before returning to gaze straight ahead.

"I do not mean to-"

"I dreamed about killing my sister again," she interrupted him.

A bright red light flashed upon her face, no doubt from his mask signalling a '!' to appear. It went away before returning again, probably a '...' or '?' this time.

"I... see."

It was quiet for a while, no words being spoken. No movements attempted to be made. No sounds except for the ones that were outside in the city of Sanctuary.

"You know... it's funny," Athena finally spoke up.

"Hmm?"

"I thought that I was okay with what happened. Killing my sister on accident. I guess my own guilty conscious got the best of me. I try not to think too much about how I just... killed her. I miss her, even though I only knew her for a few weeks. She reminded me that, 'Hey, you aren't as alone as you think you are.' Now she's gone, been gone for almost 5 years now that I think about it. Nothing dulls the pain, but I try to find ways to."

Zer0 felt something tug in his chest. Was this... sympathy? He could sense the guilt flooding off of her, even though the only thing that betrayed this emotion was her eyes. They were pained, as if lost in a hazy memory that she wished to have forgotten.

Something overthrew his logical thinking. Maybe it was the sympathy he was feeling before, maybe it was something _deeper_, but he reached forward, grabbed her shoulders and engulf her in an awkward hug.

He wasn't used to physical contact, despite spending almost 30 hours being previously held by her, but he made an exception. _For her_. Her arms were trapped between her body and his chest before, just as awkward as he did,she wrapped around his torso. It took a few moments before they finally released each other.

"You are not alone."

Athena gave him a small,genuine smile, perhaps the first he had seen her having one, and nodded in thanks. She got up off the bunk, causing it to squeal, and went over to the couch. Grabbing her pieces of armor, piece-by-piece she put them on with deft fingers as if she had been doing it her entire life. When she got done, she quickly wrapped the scarf around her shoulders, not yet pulling it over her head to use as a makeshift hood, before awkwardly turning towards Zer0, who had finally sat up on the bed as he attempted to bring the blood rushing back to his aching forelegs and feet. She walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder.

Zer0 barely managed to look up at her before a pair of lips was placed on the side of his visor, where his right cheek would be.

"Thank you... for not waking me up, and for what you said," she mumbled quickly before turning around and exiting the room by the stairwell, going downstairs into Tannis' office.

A shock feeling ran through Zer0 as he attempted to process what just happened. A smile graced his lips and he turned to face the balcony, seeing the Pandoran moon, Elpis, shine through.

Athena was interesting.

Interesting, indeed.

**Author's Note: I got so much overwhelming support from Chapter 1, that I decided to take a few hours out of today to work on this. You can totally tell I ship Zer0 and Athena now, I suppose. Athena is still awkward as ever when it comes to **_**looove**_**. Anyways, thanks for reading.**

**Update 11/20: Fixed grammatical mistakes and added words.**


	3. Chapter 3

The feeling that tugged at his chest had become exotic and alien to him. It wasn't that he wasn't used to it, it was more so the fact that he wasn't used to conveying it. It tugged at his chest and it seemed to make his heart pump fast to the point where he could feel it thumping against his ribs. Even the feeling of his heart pumping wasn't exotic or alien taking into context that this was usually when a battle was on and the adrenaline in his veins took over his natural senses of fight or flight. But the way it was being conveyed was almost a definite foreign as he held Athena in his arms while she slept an unpeaceful sleep.

Zer0 felt bad for her. That was it. The tug in his chest and the wildly thumping of his heart was sympathy for the woman who had fallen into a distressful sleep. He never felt bad for someone; it simply wasn't his lifestyle to have sympathy or empathy for a person. Especially for enemies of the Raiders, even if they were turncoats. However, it seemed his own oath, which he pounded into his head multiple times, seemed to crack under the pressure of this woman's past life with the Lance.

He didn't know why, or how, but she was allowed to go visit a grave in a village. More specifically, a burnt down village. The rains of Pandora had washed away the ashes to the point where the ground was a constant soggy dark gray and the previously burned down houses were wet and stunk of smoke. In the middle of the once, as Zer0 expected, beautiful and peaceful village was a small grave with a sloppily placed rock in use of a headstone. He had found Athena there, slumped to her knees, nearly in tears as she reached out and placed a hand on the worn-out rock.

He had managed to reach out and grab her shoulder before she eventually broke down in tears. It was strange to watch such a stoic and stone-faced woman cry in front of a grave, but he wouldn't exactly know since he had never cried before. Her shoulders shook and her arms wobbled as she struggled to calm down. Eventually, Zer0 did what he expected himself to do. He got down on his knees and placed himself next to her.

He wasn't a master when it came to dealing with emotions, but he knew when someone needed another to be there to help. It was clearly his job to be that 'someone' that was there to help. Athena had placed her head on his shoulder, whether it be instinctively or purposeful, and had cried.

Zer0 took his time to look at the headstone to see what she was sobbing about. What he looked at shocked him.

_Jess_

_A sister._

It was carved, in neat letters, into the stone. It was a grave. It was a grave for Athena's _sister_. Athena's _dead sister_.

As he pondered over it, the tug inside his chest became even stronger.

Athena had went to visit her sister's grave. In the middle of a burned-down village.

Now that Zer0 thought about it, he remembered that she had mentioned accidently killing her sister. It would explain the emotional breakdown at the foot of the grave and possibly why the whole village was burnt-down.

He understood why she had to have an emotional breakdown. The build-up of all the depression, anxiety, and stress had been too much for her to handle to the point where it boiled over and had caused tears to streak down her face.

"She needed this bad/ An emotional cleansing/ I hope she feels fine."

Though Athena was asleep, it seemed she heard him as shown when she attempted to move closer. This act itself caused Zer0 to look down at the worn-out warrior.

She had shed all of her armor and her scarf, sloppily placed by the door of the house they had "renovated" for the night cycle. She had also, to Zer0's surprise, had taken off the red and black shirt that she usually had on to reveal the black tanktop underneath. Her breathing was fast, goosebumps were layered all over her skin, and a small sheen of sweat had formed across her neck and her forehead. A clear sign of bad dreams and nightmares. Her grip fluxated from tight, to the point of bone-cracking, to soft and wanting to be held, as shown when she moved closer just a moment ago.

This time it was Zer0's turn to hold her. To contribute to the comfort that she had given him when she accidently fell asleep in his bunk a few weeks ago. To show that he was here for her in case she had woken up in a screaming daze, clearly shaken from her own plaguing memories. She had already done so a few times early that night, but had soon fallen back to sleep as she sensed his arms around her and his voice telling her to sleep.

By now, it seemed the nightmares were starting to shake off and she had fallen into a semi-peaceful sleep. Her arms and shoulders still shook slightly, despite the thick blankets that were piled on the both of them. Her breathing was still slightly fast and her grip remained a firm message: Don't move.

Zer0 took this as a moment to look down at her face and brush a few stuck strands of hair off her forehead and around her ear. He re-literated this multiple times throughout the time to himself, but it was strange to see this stoic woman cry. She always remained serious, never seeming to let down her mask.

Metaphorically, of course. She didn't have a mask to begin with, so possibly a better word would've been her hood. Speaking of her hood...

Zer0 took a moment to lift his head from its previous place across the top of her head and look across the house to her pile of battle-worn armor and the scarf that was draped across all of it. It was true that Athena had previously told him that the scarf was the only possession of her sister's that she had.

"Always recalling/ Never forgetting that scene/ She's unforgotten."

A small whimper came from her and she buried her face underneath his chin, across the dip in his neck. He was aware of how her knees barely reached the middle of his thighs and how her arms were wrapped across his midsection.

It was different being held from the front. It allowed Zer0 to hold her as well, but was nonetheless entertaining to see her reactions as well. He experimented with loosening his grip on her only for her to tighten her grip on him. He held her tighter and she scooted closer. Certainly something you didn't see from an ex-assassin for sure. But, something you also didn't see from a current assassin as well.

Why was he doing this?

_Sympathy of course/ I feel horrible for her/ She needs to be held._

However, here Zer0 was. Here **he** was. No one else. He had decided to follow her alone after seeing her slightly distressed upon entering the Fast Travel station, alone. Anyone else could've done it, but... hell. Here he was being her "cuddle toy" once more as she slept. But, strangely he had voluntarily allowed it as well.

He had previously talked to Moxxi about it. This "feeling" of awkwardness that came between the two whenever they talked about private matters. While the conversations were between far and few, he found a certain spark of shyness evolve slowly across the skin in his neck and face. As the bar-owner had explained, it was a "crush". With more explanation, it seemed that Zer0 "had the hots" for Athena. Whatever that meant...

While he didn't mention the "sleeping incident", as he liked to call it, he began to notice a few changes in Athena's body language as well. She seemed more open to conversations and began to use hand gestures to emphasize her point as well. She seemed more open to talk about private matters: her life growing up (though these details were still vague), her journey after annihaliting the Atlas Corporation, and even her journey on Elpis (leaving out the details of Jack's employment of her, however). She had grown closer to him, becoming more comfortable with talking to him.

Similar to how Zer0 had as well. He was more comfortable with talking much more around her, more than what he usually did. He was "okay" with talking about his past jobs and how he helped bring the downfall of Jack. It seemed that he had grown a place in his heart for Athena.

To the point where he had allowed her to get under his skin. Metaphorically.

His mask, breastplate, and gloves were shed and placed, neatly, next to her red armor. Zer0 had decided this after she had fallen asleep in an attempt to be more comfortable, seeing as how Athena would probably be sleeping for quite a while. He didn't mind being this... bare to her, though she was asleep and didn't sense the misplaced armor on him.

The warm touch of her arms across his bare torso was enough to send sparks up and down his spine and across his shoulders. This lasted only for a while before it eventually dulled and vanished. Her face, buried in the dip of his neck, constantly sent slow, hot breaths across his sensitive skin. Her hair tickled his nose to the point where his eyes were watering and he struggled to stop from sneezing.

But it was nice to not have to worry about people taking his mask off while he slept or rested. It was nice to hold his woman, whom he had apparently grown feelings for, in his arms while she rested. It was nice to not be placed as a sadistic killer and to just forget about that for a few hours.

It was nice...

Of course, he would need an explanation himself, once again, when she woke up about the village and her sister's grave.

But for the first time on Pandora to him, it was nice.

Athena mumbled sluggishly in her sleep before turning around in his arms. Her back was now pressed against his chest. Zer0 rested one arm across her stomach and the other was, with some effort, placed under her head in the use of a pillow. Athena let out a contented sigh before grabbing his arm with her own in an attempt to trap him there.

_Yes. This is very nice._

**Author's Note: Surprise? Thanks for readin'.**

**Update 12/1: Fixed grammar and added details.**


	4. Chapter 4

He fucked up.

He fucked up _really, really, really_ badly.

He just couldn't believe that _he_, the Pandoran renown assassin with a heart of ice and a blade of steel, managed to fall asleep.

It probably didn't seem like such a bad idea to his tired, groggy mind at the time. The mix of the warmth of the ventilated shack, Athena's warm body pressed against his chest, and the bullymong fur blankets that covered the both of them had been enough to cause his mind to go into a state of drowsiness. Then, it was the rhythmic beat of her heart that he felt through her back into his chest was what probably finally did him in. It was just too peaceful and he became vulnerable enough to give into it.

Sleeping had never been much of a problem for him. Most of the time, the noises and lights of Sanctuary had caused his mind to be alert and focused. The few times that he did take a rest were far and few between; his body had long since gotten use to the lack of sleep to the point where sleeping in general barely lasted more than a couple of hours. It wasn't a healthy lifestyle, but it was one he had adapted to very well.

However, _this_ was something that was clearly unfamiliar to him. For the fact that falling asleep for longer than what his body was normally used to, this was strange to him. But to fall asleep **holding** someone, well it was clearly an improbable situation for him.

If falling asleep holding someone wasn't bad enough, falling asleep holding the woman he apparently "had the hots for" was a dangerous thing to do. Especially if she could kill him with a flick of any wrist, the ambidexterous warrior that she was. What was even worse, is that she had **woken up before him**.

So yes, he had fucked up really, horribly, terribly, tremendously bad.

The first indication was that he felt a hand on his bare torso. It was warm and amused him to feel it, but then it started to roam around, brushing his sides and eventually going back to the middle over his sternum before placing itself slightly to the left over his heart. He hadn't paid much attention up until that point, but the feeling of a mobile limb placed against torso was enough to set his hyperactive senses off. He had waited patiently to test if she would do anything else.

All that came from Athena was a grunt of acknowledgement, and then suddenly the bed springs squeaked giving off the indication that she getting up. At that point, his eyes shot open and his turned to his side and sat at the edge of the bed.

Now here he was: his back was turned away from Athena and he felt her grow still. His elbows were placed on his knees as he leaned over. His face was hidden in his hands as he struggled to keep from jumping up and leaving. His right knee bounced up and down, a clear sign of a nervous tic on him. He gritted his teeth in frustration at his stupidity for allowing his guard down. His hands would occasionally run through his hair as he tried to calm himself down, his growing irritation and disappointment at himself peaking every now and again.

_I am so stupid/ I am really fucking dumb/ I should not have slept!_

With a frustrated groan, Zer0 slammed his fists against to his sides against the bed. He heard her snort behind him before she cleared her throat.

His anger softened into non-existence as he calmed down.

"You do know you snore? Correct?"

He sighed in defeat and placed his chin on top of his hands as he stared at the wall.

"No."

"You managed to wake me up a few times during the night, surprisingly."

He let out a small groan as he learned that she had seen him before he had woken up. His annoyance at himself for sleeping without armor on was returning.

"Sorry."

"Yeah..."

A tension filled silence covered over the two of them like the bullymong fur blanket that they had shared not too long ago. It was uncomfortable, thick, and apparent. The sounds of the creatures of Pandora were streaming from under the door. Skags howling in the distance, the stalkers croaking out their morning calls, and the occasional screech of a thresher as it burrowed under ground before returning to the surface. In the shack they were in, time seemed to stand still.

Finally, Zer0 could not take it anymore and decided to turn his head around to see her. Staying as silent as possible, he turned his head slightly so that he could see her out of his peripheral vision. Athena's back was turned towards him as she leaned over with her elbows placed on her knees in the same position he was in.

"Stop staring, please."

He turned his head back to the wall and let out a sigh. Ths couldn't have gone any better.

"You cuddle a lot/ Whenever you fall asleep/ You do know that? Right?"

"No."

"You do."

"Interesting."

The thick tension that once covered the air between them was fading slowly.

"Well... you're more... uh... blue than I expected. Did you know that?"

He chuckled slightly. Of course she would ask about his appearance, it only seemed natural for the human mind to be constantly curious.

"Cannot say I have/ I suppose I couldn't know/ I cannot read minds."

"Good point."

He looked down at his hands and his chest, conscious of how he would probably look to Athena. His skin was a navy blue with a smooth texture to it. His scars, which littered his body in various forms, were an amethyst color. His eyes were completely black except for the irises being snow white. He had naturally soft, spiky brown hair. Definitely not what most people thought he would look like. Zer0 had heard rumors that people believed he was a robot, an Eridian hybrid, and even a woman in disguise. While he dismissed them all, it was certainly amusing to see the sideways glances at him whenever he walked down to the sidewalk.

Athena broke his thoughts with her clearing her throat. He turned his body slightly to see her and noticed that she was looking at him.

"Thanks for sleeping with me-"

Suddenly, she went red-faced.

"I-I mean thanks for sleeping in the bed with me- I mean, uh-."

She covered her mouth and looked away. Her ears were red from embarrassment and Zer0 struggled to not laugh. With a calm sigh to get the hilarity out of his system, he got up and went over to the other side of the bed. He gently took one of her hands from her face into his.

"I understand."

He brought her knuckles up to his lips and gave it a gentle kiss. It didn't help her embarrassment as she quickly took her hand away once he released it and brought it back to her face. Athena then brought her knees to her chest and buried her face in them.

Zer0 took this as a chance to see her in a more vulnerable state. She was akin to a dungeon, built in floors of destruction with a small piece of success in each one that was the doorway. Her mental propoganda was her inability to form social relationships with anyone, relying more solely on the physical relationship of battle and war. The physical relationship was shown through her skin, exhibiting as the consistent pattern of scars that lined her upper back, shoulders, and biceps. Her social relationship was the awkward shyness that came whenever someone tried to make a friendship or even being accomplices with her. Zer0 doubted he would get far in this type of relationship with her; instead he focused more on bringing her out of her "shell", so to speak.

If he had to guess, the fact that she purposely removed all her armor and an article of her clothing had been enough to show that she trusted him. Similar to how she did that to him, he had done the same to her. He had rarely brought his skin out since coming to Pandora and almost never showed it to anyone else. So to prove his previous statement, he had allowed her to take him out of his "shell", or more factual his armor. It was a small step forward, but a large success to see her being more comfortable around his well-being.

"-op staring, please."

He blinked once, twice, three times as he attempted to stop blanking out while look at her. Though he couldn't show any signs of embarrassment to her in the form of physicalness, he was certain feeling a warm rush of blood go up his neck and to his ears and cheeks. It wouldn't show, but if he was human he would most likely be blushing by now.

"My bad."

She nodded at his answer before doing something that would cement his reason to blush even further. She sat straight up, grabbed his upper arm and pulled him down. Within a millisecond, a pair of soft lips were pressed against his cheek. His eyes went wide as Athena kissed his cheek for a few moments before letting go of his arm and getting up.

Zer0 looked down at his feet and lifted a hand to gentle caress the place where she had kissed him at.

"We should probably get back, Lilith is probably having a fit right now."

Zer0 looked up at Athena to see her beginning to put her shirt on. Her arms lifted above her head and caught a brief glimpse of her tanned stomach. Turning his head away towards his pile of armor, he struggled to form words.

"Of course."

He got up and began to deftly strap his breastplate on. He would occasionally turn his head to look at the Gladiatrix, putting her armor on as well, next to him. Quick glances seemed to suffice for him as he continued to put his armor on, now at the gloves. With quick nimble fingers, he had placed his hands inside the cold leather and was about to put his mask on before remembering something.

He placed a hand on Athena's shoulder causing her to look up at him.

"Promise me something/ Keep my appearance secret/ I like privacy."

Reasoning flashed through her eyes, before something akin to embarrassment did as well.

"Only if you- uh. Don't... tell anyone I cried at my sister's grave."

He smiled and nodded before holding his gloved hand.

"Promise?"

She had a slightly amused look on her face before holding out her gloved hand as well.

"Promise."

With a quick shake of their hands, Zer0 quickly put his mask back on. They made their way over to the door to begin their travel back to Sanctuary, hoping that Lilith's rage wouldn't be too harsh for the both of them.

**Author's Note: In celebration of next week being my last week of school (and also my finals week) I decided to update the story again. This may/may not be the last chapter, I do not know. I really like updating this story because I enjoy expanding this little story arc. So tell me, should I make a Chapter 5 in the near future? Thanks for reading.**


	5. Chapter 5

Maybe it was the fact that he got shot point-blank with a Bandit shotgun. Or maybe it was the shock of rounding a corner, giving chase to a bandit leader in an attempt to take his life, only to come face to face with the barrel of a shotgun held by a Bruiser. It could've possible even been his overconfidence which tempted him to give chase, only to fall into a well-planned trap and be blown back by the blast. Whatever the reason for his pain, it certainly hurt like hell.

Zer0 was grateful that Lilith had made Athena tag along with him on his mission to clear the settling bandits out of the old Hyperion extraction plant in the Highlands. While he was suspiscious at first with Lilith's choice, it wasn't until he noticed, on the way to the Fast Travel Station, Moxxi was leaning against the doorway of her bar and gave him a sly, barely noticeable wink.

_Shouldn't have told her/ Now she wants to always know/ It was a mistake._

Now here he was, laying on the bed in a shack in the middle of the Highlands in extreme pain. His chest was riddled with bullets and the tweezers that slowly pulled each one out of his muscles only forced the pain forward. His chest ached in a dull, steady throb and his back sparked out random pangs of pain. The pain in his back most likely occured when he slam against the concrete from the force of the bullets on his shield and later his skin. However, pain was natural to him by now as shown by the scars. By now, nearly all the bullets were out of his chest cavity save for a few that were too dangerous to remove. He had wrapped a thick bandage around his chest in an attempt to stop from bleeding and so far, it was succeeding in its job.

Zer0 looked over at Athena, who was busy cleaning her hands up from his cobalt blue blood with her water canteen, and watched her timidly. She had done his "surgery" with precision and he was amazed at how quick she had done it. Zed would've taken hours to do it, no doubt, but Athena had barely taken an hour removing the bullets. He had gotten used to her knowing what he looked like, so it wasn't a surprise by how comfortable he was around her without his chestplate on.

However, comfortable he was in her presence, he was also restless. Restlessness was rare to him, only occurring whenever he felt the itch of adrenaline in his skin and the twitch of his trigger finger. It was a clear message: He yearned to fight. However, as much as he wanted to at the moment, he wouldn't be fighting anytime soon for the next few days. His chest was too badly damaged to sustain anymore damage, even if his shield took it. His back hurt too much to even walk, more less stand without falling over.

So, Zer0 settled with shifting around on the edge of bed. He bounced his left knee up and down before going to his right knee. He tapped his fingers against the bed cover. He ground his teeth in frustration as well. Frustration of not being allowed loose into battle, instead being behind the lines. He wanted a challenge.

"No."

He looked up in surprise to see Athena in front of him, eyes gazing at him with concern and annoyance. She had long-since removed her armour and scarf and was now dressed in her "night clothes". Typically it was just the red-black shirt and the dark gray weathered pants she wore. He turned his head slightly to the side, confused.

"You're too injured to go pick a fight right now."

"But-"

"I ECHO'd Zed and he said it would be best if you stayed still. Lilith said that we could go back tomorrow if you were injured as badly as I said you were. You are staying still and that is that."

He gritted his teeth and grounded them in frustration once more, the feeling of claustophobia was beginning to set in. Taking a few deep breaths he looked up once more, challenging her gaze with his own.

"You cannot stop me/ You are only one person/ Plus, I'm really tall."

She seemed unimpressed with his answer and sat down beside him.

Suddenly the feeling of warmth surged through his torso. He looked down and saw lean arms around him and suddenly he was being pulled back, flat onto the bed. His feeling of shock only strengthened when he found himself in such a peculiar position.

His back was pressed against her chest, arms tight around his torso. However, unlike the first time she had fallen asleep holding him, they were at an incline on the bed. Zer0 was, quite literally, lying on top of Athena. Her face was buried against his left shoulder blade and her feet were hooked around his knees. He choked and looked down at the arms that were wrapped around his bandaged chest. One had slid lower onto his stomach and the other was placed over his heart.

Silence. That was it right now. Utter silence. So quiet that he could hear the distant threshers bury underground in the heart of the extraction plant. So quiet that he could hear the water rushing down the dam. So quiet that he could hear and feel Athena's breath against his skin. Goosebumps formed easily, before fading away and being replaced once more.

"Yes, I can. I don't want you to get hurt anymore. Understand? I don't want you to get hurt because I care about you. So don't be a snarky dumbass and do something regrettable."

Zer0 nodded along with her words, overwhelmed by the feeling of being held. It was just as comfortable as it was the first time, if not more. He leaned back against Athena and settled more comfortably against her. He felt the sense of security to be held by her. The feeling of arms around his chest, pinning him down. The warmth of her body that pooled with his own. The calm, soft heartbeat against his back. It was strange because she could snap his neck at any moment right now, but she didn't. And it felt _good_ to know she didn't want to. A strange guilty pleasure for him. The assassin was weakened by something as simple as a hug, but he had never truly been held before. Or hugged. Or been given a hand on his shoulder. Or given a pat on the back or head. So yes, it was a viable guilty pleasure for him.

It was generally pleasant now. The dull aching in his chest from the day's earlier events were long-since forgotten. Only replaced by the feeling of her heartbeat against his back, her arms wrapped around him to hold him in place, her breath gently tickling the skin on his shoulder.

"Why must you hold me?/ This backs up my 'cuddle' claim/ It's- uh. Strange, also."

Athena grunted and turned her head towards him. He did the same so that they were looking at each other. Her eyes were a blue-gray color. Specks of azure were hidden in them as well. Her irises were slightly ringed with red, as if she hadn't slept in a long time. Though, truthfully, it was probably a fact that she hadn't slept in hours. Her body just simply to used to long periods of activity with short rests in between, similar to his.

"Some people need to just be... held, sometimes."

As if she agreed with her own answer, she buried her face back against his shoulder blade and continued to hold him, grip tighter than what it was before.

Zer0 stared at her for a while, trying to process what she had told him.

_Some people..?_

He couldn't really think of anyone that specifically needed to be held. Most people on Pandora were grown to know that grit and ruthlessness was the only way to survive the harsh environment. He could compile a small list of people though: Tina, Tannis, Moxxi, and even Brick needed the ever-so-often hug or a comforting grasp of someone. However, to hear his name on the list from Athena was a surprise.

_...need to just be... held sometimes._

Peculiar use of words, but it had a meaning to it. If he had to guess she meant he specifically needed to be held. However, to suggest this to him was a surprise. Athena usually never voiced her thoughts in arguements. She was a woman of action, not politics. To tell him that she wanted to hold him was-

It hit him like a ton of bricks. Or even worse: it hit him like a bandit technical.

He stared, wide-eyed at her. Though he didn't notice it before, Zer0 noticed a small red tint in the tip of her ears as she hid her face against his shoulder. He processed the information over and over, just to confirm it.

_She wants to hold me. She wants to hold me. She wants to hold me. She wants to hold me. She. Wants. To. Hold. Me. Athena. The Gladiatrix. The woman who was captured by the Raiders. The woman who was almost executed. The woman who I have a "crush" on. She wants to hold me._

Zer0 cleared his throat and feigned a yawn in an attempt to sound sleepy and tired. Settling against Athena more comfortable, he leaned his head back against her shoulder. Just to verify what he was doing, he slowly turned his head and brushed his nose along the side of her neck.

"I should try to sleep/ You should as well, Athena/ You need some, also."

She lifted her head slightly to see him.

"I'll be fine. You need rest more than I do."

It didn't seem like an acceptable answer to him, so he tried once more.

"You should still try to/ You need rest more than I do/ So try and get it."

Athena gave him a challenging stare and finally accepted his offer. She loosened her arms around him and leaned her head back against the pillow.

He slowed his breathing down and began to loosen his muscles as well to feign falling asleep. It took a little while, but he felt something warm against his forehead before a long sigh of air tickled his skin as well.

She couldn't have just kissed his forehead.

Could she have?

**Author's Note: You wanted another chapter, so here you go. I, actually, plan on making this somewhere between 10-20 chapters now. This originally started out as a one-shot turned two-shot, but because of all the support I now want to try and make this a full-length story. Thanks guys, and thank you for reading as well. It's nice to know that you want more and I enjoy giving you more. See you.**

**Update 12/17: Fixed grammar.**


	6. Chapter 6

Zer0 really wished that the awkwardness that surrounded the two of them would simple evaporate into smoke. However, it seemed that fate deemed it not to be, so the embarrassing, shy, painful feeling when they reached Sanctuary seemed to stay throughout the whole trip. He never told her that he noticed the small kiss she had given him on his forehead or how he managed to interprate the whole, "Some people just need to be... held, sometimes." thing she had said. It would be better to feign staying in the oblivious dark than let her know that he was catching onto her antics.

Those antics had led them to go seperate paths after Fast Travelling into the Sanctuary Fast Travel station. Athena had decided to go near Claptrap's place to visit an old friend and that annoying robot who had become fond of calling him minion. Zer0 had, to his later disguist and somewhat gratitude, decided to go visit Moxxi's Bar. It was still quite early in the morning so there were few- to no customers in the booths or sitting upon the bar stools. This would later be a mistake on his part.

The moment upon walking in he found her sly, cat eyes watching his every step like someone was inspecting a rare mineral such as a diamond, and in Pandoran terms a piece of Eridium. He had taken a seat in front of Moxxi, but it didn't make him feel any less queasier around her. Her eyes trailed up and down his chest and face plate while he stared at the bar counter.

Upon looking down at his chest, a red '!' showed up on his visor. He had forgotten to patch up the bullet holes that the shotgun had created in his armor. All that showed through the holey leather was his white bandages that were still wrapped around his chest. Moxxi let out one of her signituare smiles and began to wipe the counter down.

"So, fun night I suppose?"

"'Fun Night'? Explain, please/ I don't understand this term/ Unless you explain."

"Don't play coy with me, sugar. I heard what Zed and Lilith said. A Bandit shotgun shell point-blank to the chest. Must've heard like hell."

He grimaced as memories of the shotgun bullets ripped through his shield and later his skin. It did hurt like hell the first few hours, but seem to dissipate during the night for a reason only known to him. Or, at least, he hoped it was a reason only known to him.

"It did."

He looked up at Moxxi who had her elbows on the counter and was leaning forward slightly as she calculated him with her eyes.

"Then there is no way you could've fixed your chest up by yourself. If I suspect, Athena-"

"But-"

"- fixed up your wounds for you."

A red '...' appeared on his face signifying that he had nothing to say. The smile on Moxxi's face only grew bigger as her eyes sparkled with a mix of entertainment and smugness.

"Tell me, Miss Moxxi/ How did you get this info?/ How'd you deduct it?"

"Oh, sugar. This pretty face is more than just a pretty face, you should know that by now. It was pretty simple."

He grimaced at his own ignorance for not sewing his armor up before getting to Sanctuary. However, the bandages had managed to block out the cold morning winds similar to his armor and it slipped his mind at the time.

"You got shot and, with the horrible kickback of those stupid guns, you could barely move I suppose. Athena removed your chestplate and mask and had managed to pull out every bullet that had entered your system. Bandaged you up nice and tight. And, finally, you slept together. Am I correct?"

Like before, a red '!' mulled over his mask.

"Not every bullet/ You got that wrong, bartender/ Only most of them."

"You're evading the question."

"I bandaged myself/ So you got that wrong as well/ That's another one."

Moxxi let out an annoying sigh, "Still avoiding the question."

"I removed my mask/ Athena did not know how/ That was wrong as well."

"Still avoiding the question."

"It's not avoiding/ I just refuse to answer/ There's a difference."

"So you're admitting to me that you slept with Athena-"

"I never said-"

"So, you did!"

Zer0 bit his own tongue to stop a frustrated groan from forcing its way out of his throat. His own tongue was as quick as his moves and he had managed to get himself caught.

"When put that way, no/ We did not "sleep together"/ With innuendo."

"However?"

"There was one bed there/ We slept in it together/ Figure it out now."

Moxxi had a smug smirk on her face as she continued to wipe the counter, unknowingly doing it the whole time they were talking.

"Has any other dashing incidents like this happened, sugar?"

Zer0 considered his options. He could tell Moxxi and just be over with it, allowing her to tease him countless times until she grew bored. Or he could simply lie to her and let her continue to divulge into his private life as much as she saw fit to do so. Option A sounded better anyways.

"Yes."

A look of shock appeared across her face. Clearly, she did not expect that answer and she did not expect him to answer so bluntly about it.

"Oh."

Moxxi kept her gaze on him expectingly as she waited for him to answer. It took him a few moments until he finally noticed.

"Two times in the past/ The HQ and a village/ That's the only times."

"Strange places to be sleeping together at."

"I dislike that phrase/ Can you please stop using it?/ It is disturbing."

"Because you want it to be true?"

"No."

"Whatever you say, sugar."

Their arguing continued for a few more minutes in mute silence. Instead of bickering with words they bickered with gazes. Though she couldn't see his eyes it seemed she knew he was frustrated by his tapping of his fingers against the counter and his right knee bouncing up and down. Her gaze was that of smugness and intelligence. Hell, the air about her was that of smugness and intelligence, something which she rarely showed off. Finally, she let out a quiet chuckle and shook her head from side to side, clearly humored by something.

"And you say you don't love this girl."

"I never said-"

"Don't lie to me, Zer0."

Her deadpanned, serious expression almost caused him to jump. He had never seen her act more serious before in the long time he had spent with the Crimson Raiders. Her mouth was a straight line, her arms had crossed over her chest, and her eyes were that of seriousness and filled with knowledge.

"Love is... strange. It doesn't have to come from lusting over someone, you know."

"... Yes."

"However, people often interprate it into that. Love is that gut feeling of wanting to take care of someone. Wanting to hold them and to tell them that you will always be there for them. Wanting to protect them and even giving your own life for them. You get me, sugar?"

"I understand it, Moxxi."

"Okay then, riddle me this: Who have I always loved no matter what? No matter the cause, no matter the effects, no matter anything?"

He considered her question. It seemed obvious that it could be one of her many suitors that she had over the many years she had been alive. It could've even been the three husbands she had, though he specifically remembered that she had placed a hit on her second one, Mr. Shank, almost five years ago.

"Your children."

"Correct, sugar. Now do you know why I love them now?"

"You would die for them/ You'd give your life to save them/ Are I not correct?"

"See? Now isn't love a complicated thing. Take it from me: Three husbands and hundreds of partners and still I've always kept my love for my kids."

"Love is complicated."

"Now wouldn't you do the same thing for Athena?"

Zer0 realized where all this was going. It wasn't the fact that Moxxi was teasing him, it was the fact that Moxxi was trying to teach him that he was allowed to like Athena. He could hold Athena when she wanted it. He would put his life on the line for her. He would, countless times again, always be there for her.

"Of course, I'd always/ She'd not do the same, I think/ So just forget it."

"Because Atlas assassins were taught that love, attraction, appearance were all useless and to just ignore them?"

"Yes?"

Moxxi chuckled slightly as his statement, oblivious how wrong he was.

"Sugar, do you know why she left- No, destroyed Atlas?"

"No."

"They tricked her into killing her sister, Jess. She was so angry and bitter that she had lost one of the only two people in her life that she had loved and she decided that that one death was enough to cause the murder of hundreds of thousands."

"Oh."

"She didn't care about that stupid code because she broke it. Now, tell me this: Do you think she still follows the same code now?"

"No."

"Exactly, so explain to me why she can't have the same feelings for you."

He began to think of all the times that she had shown "feelings" for him. How she opened up to him about her life and allowed to him to know the secret behind her scarf and tattoo. She had allowed him to hold her when she was having an emotional breakdown and had even shed some layers of herself to exhibit a feeling of trust to him. Of course it didn't happen all of a sudden and had instead taken quite a while to get these feelings to become apparent to him. However, he did notice. Noticed how she kissed his forehead during the previous night that he had gotten injured with a shotgun shell. Noticed how she had specifically said that she wanted to hold him, no one else.

"I... cannot."

Moxxi gave him a knowing smile and leaned over the counter to grab his balled hands. He had allowed it and looked up at her to see her eyes filled with a motherly warmth.

"Think it over then."

Zer0 gave her a simple nod and began to think it over. So, he thought it over for the whole Pandoran day and into most of the Pandoran night in complete silence and with motionless moves.

**Author's Note: I probably won't update this story at all next week/the week after that. If I do then just imagine it as a New Year's surprise type of deal. Also: if you have any ideas for chapters send them to me. I do not mind having a little push forward and would greatly appreciate it as well. Thanks for reading and happy holidays.**

**Update 12/20: Fixed grammar mistakes and added a few little details in.**


	7. Chapter 7

Out of all the impulsive things that Zer0 had done in his career as an assassin, deciding to instantly pair up with Athena in a single-bed room was perhaps one of his most rash decisions. Maybe it was coming into terms that he was indeed growing and accepting his feelings for this woman, or maybe it was his evolving protective nature for her that shouted that he had to stay by her side at all cost. Either way, it was one that got noticed by her almost instantly to his dismay and embarrassment. At a later time the next day, he would make an excuse, but for now he was instead listening to her jostle around on the bed as she fought to either get comfortable or stay awake.

It didn't seem obvious at the time in Sanctuary that the Bloodshots would become a serious problem. They had a floating city so that no one, except for Hyperion and the occasional bandit buzzards that rarely reached the Highlands from the Dust, could harm them. However, Lilith wanted to make sure that the bandits that had tried many, many times to take over Sanctuary had to be dealt with immediately. Thankfully each time they failed and now it seemed that they had to be taken out for good.

As Lilith had put it at the briefing, "It'd be one less bandit clan Pandora has to worry about."

So it seemed obvious that a small group of Vault Hunters were to be sent into the old Bloodshot Dam to kill them all. Sanctuary could not afford to send Crimson Raiders out of the city for a job that they could handle. With his chest wound healed up, Zer0 had immediately volunteered and had been able to take a part in the annihilation of the bandits. Axton, Gaige, Maya, and Salvador had also decided to join in as well. However, what shocked the whole group is that Lilith had, once again to Zer0's suspicion, decided that Athena would join them as well.

By the time they had reached the Bloodshot Stronghold, it was already the middle of the Pandoran night cycle so they had decided to rest in the Happy Pig Motel nearby. The motel had only three usable rooms in the whole establishment, so Axton and Salvador had taken a room and Maya and Gaige had taken the other. As with, probably, all the other rooms there was a single bed in it. And so this is where the two of them rested now.

He rested back-to-back with her on the bed, tottering on the edge as he tried to give her as much room as he possible could. He faced the wall while Athena faced the door and window of the motel room. Zer0 almost definitely would not be sleeping tonight as he feared that he would not be able to wake up before Axton did and get caught without his mask on. He, at first, expected Athena would pass the night away by sleeping. However it seemed not to be the case as she moved around on her side of the bed.

Zer0 could feel her shifting weight from the mattress dipping back and forth. She let out huffs of frustration as she tried to jostle herself awake to try and keep sleep from taking her. Sometimes, he could even feel her sitting up in her position only to fall back down a few minutes later. He began to expect that she was nervous about taking over the Bloodshot Stronghold and could simply not sleep in the case of it.

"What's wrong Athena?/ Why can you not fall asleep?/ Something the matter?"

Athena let out a frustrated sigh and moved to sit on the edge of the bed, elbows on her knees as she faced the door. Zer0 sat up and watched her from his peripheral vision. She seemed distracted and uncomfortable, though that could be the fact that she was wearing her armor whilst previously resting in the bed.

"I just... I just don't like knowing that we're sleeping next to a bandit stronghold. That's all. It unsettles me."

"Understandable/ However, still try and sleep/ Rest will be needed."

"You make it sound easy, but it's not. What if one of the Bloodshots comes and finds us here, sleeping? He would have an easy target to take out."

_So that's what is wrong/ Interesting phobia/ Can I do something?_

Zer0 scanned the room, trying to find ways to block Athena's nervousness of the bandit stronghold that they were, currently, neighbors with. Multiple scenarios ran through his head. While he highly doubted that bandit would be awake at this point and even try to leave the fortified base that they had set up outside the entrance to the dam, he could validate Athena's nervousness and overall sense of insecurity. The Happy Pig Motel wasn't exactly the most guarded place in Three Horns and was, to an extent, possibly the least guarded. Letting his thoughts run free, his gaze drifted across the dimly lit room until it landed upon the door and the window.

_One, I lock the door/ Two, I close the window's blinds/ That should be enough._

With a small, almost non-existent nod of his head, Zer0 went over and turned the lock, producing a small click of it securing itself in place. With that completed, he slid the chain lock into place as well to solidify that the door was now somewhat safe and that no one could get easily anymore. Now they would have to at least break the door to get inside the room, something of which would wake Athena up and would put him on instant alertness. Turning to face the window, he reached up and pulled the blinds down causing the room to go dark. Though he couldn't see them himself, he was certain that his eyes had changed from a snow white to an ivory color.

While the room was darker than what it had been before, he could still clearly see Athena. She seemed slightly more relaxed than before and had even go as far as to remove her scarf and nearly all the pieces of her armor on the nightstand beside her while he worked on locking the door and pulling the blinds down. However, she still seemed slightly tensed. Something of which Zer0 sought to fix.

He sat down next to her and put a hand on her shoulder causing Athena to look up at him.

"Lay facing the wall/ I wish to help let you sleep/ Trust me, Athena."

"Um... okay?"

It took some effort and a mixture of clumsy movements on Athena's part before she was finally in the center of the bed with her back turned to the door and her eyes scanning the wall. With renewed courage and a slight sense of embarrassment, Zer0 followed her movements.

As Zer0 had expected, she tensed up as he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her back closer to his chest. She also let out a choking sound as he, with some struggle and very little cooperation from her, put his arm underneath her head so that it would substitute as a pillow. Then it was the familiar silence that followed whenever something to this degree happened.

Of course it was familiar and he was accustomed to it. It had already happened dozens of times before this so it had no case of being foreign to him and, to a hopeful degree, her. With the added bonus of his helmet being off he allowed himself to gentle place his nose against her head and breathed softly.

_Cinnamon? How strange/ I did not expect this scent/ I thought about blood._

However, he could not complain. It had a pleasant smell to it and had a calming effect on him. It, ironically as he thought about it, also contrasted her personality a lot. While cinnamon was a sweet and savoury spice and sought by many, Athena was dangerous, guarded her emotions well, and sought to be alone much of the time whenever someone tried to make contact with her. So, Zer0 took his time in smelling her sweet scent as he expected it would last only for little while before he would wake up again and have to kill more people.

"Um... Zer0?"

He barely remembered that she was there for a moment.

"Hmm?"

"Why are you- uh. Holding me?"

"I'll take the first blow/ If an intruder comes here/ So you don't get hurt."

"I see."

The silence fell over them again letting him resume him previous intention of catching her scent. It was an enjoyable, nice change after smelling gunpowder, blood, and red-hot metal for months. Not for the first time, Zer0 smiled while holding her as he buried his nose into her black-blue locks in an attempt to drown out the other uninteresting, unpleasant odors in the room.

He let out a small chuckle and rolled his shoulders in an attempt to stop any kinks from forming. Upon hearing his back crack and pop a few times, he rested more comfortably against the mattress and brought her closer to further make his point with his next statement.

"I guess some people just need to be held, sometimes."

"O-Oh."

He smirked and once again buried his face into her hair.

"Sleep now, Athena/ I'll make sure nothing harms you/ I can promise that."

"Okay, f-fine."

Zer0 could faintly hear the sounds of Gaige animatedly talking to Maya about some project she was working on along with Axton and Salvador playing cards through the walls. However, as of right now he didn't give much of a care. Hell, he couldn't really even think of why they came to Three Horns anymore.

**Author's Note: Welcome to 2015 guys! This is a slightly shorter chapter than the other ones, sorry. However, I hope you enjoyed reading it. I'm still taking suggestions for what the next chapters should be as it would be a nice help for me. For reference, I plan on this story being specifically centered in the perspective of Zer0. So, sorry if you were hoping there to be an Athena chapter. Anyways, thank you for reading and for all the support. Let's hope for a good year.**

**Update 1/2: Fixed grammatical mistakes.**


	8. Chapter 8

The crack of the metal against metal echoed across the, now, silent streets. It had become common to hear the two of them sparring at such random hours during the day and, sometimes, night. Their daily sparrings had slowly formed a rivalry between the two of them. Who would beat the other in a round of combat between swords and who would beat the other in a round of combat between punches and kicks. While the latter was less preferable to the both of them with how much accidental strength was put into each blow, the first was what they had grown accustomed to with their daily sessions that put bruises on the both of them, whether it be from accidental or purposeful blows, their skin had the usual sheen of sweat from the sun and from the exercise that was exerted on their muscles at the end of each sparring. Then, their rivalry would stop for quite a bit while they caught their breath until it started again with the offer of going another round from one of them.

This time, however, it seemed this rivalry of blades between the two of them was not in Zer0's favor. His usual calm, focused demeanor was slowly being distracted by well... her. He would never admit this out loud, not even to Moxxi if she asked. It was just deemed too much of an embarrassing thing to him to admit that the assassin was being beaten by the ex-assassin by being distracted by her.

The blows of the flat of her blade, Xiphos, were slowly forming bruises against his sides as he didn't notice her body manuevering to place the "killing blow". His forearms and the bends of his elbows were aching as he was barely putting enough effort in blocking her attacks as the metal vibrations of her hitting his sword were sent up his arm with each effortless attack. Then, there were the times when she straight up sent a slice at his mask, giving him a new nick against the, already scraped, glass. He was simply not putting enough effort in as she was and it was costing him dearly. Both with his physical and psychological state.

As much as he tried to, he couldn't stop noticing the small things about Athena while they sparred. How she gritted her teeth between heavy strikes against him as she tried to output as much force as possible. Her hands and arm muscles would tighten as she gave and received blows. Her chest heaved up and down after each session as she caught her breath after using him as a sparring dummy as he hopelessly noticed all these tiny, insignificant details. Then there were her eyes. How they slightly clouded over with worry and suspicion as she won each round after the first ten, or so, wins of her part. She was getting suspicious and had good reason why.

_You know, sugar. When you like, or love, someone you start to notice all the little things that they do. Then you just love them even more for those._

Echoing Moxxi's words through his ears from the last talk they had, Zer0 was seriously beginning to wonder just how much Moxxi knew about his current predicament. It was true. He was truly noticing all the small things about Athena while they sparred. He almost ridiculed himself at first for his mind wondering to them as if he couldn't keep her out of his thoughts. Then he found himself wistfully wanting to notice more, but then found himself being annoyed by thinking those thoughts. Eventually, he just gave into them as shown by how he was getting distracted in the middle of another round.

Zer0 didn't even have to feel the flat of the blade against his left side to know that he had lost yet again. He had seen her twist her wrist just as the last moment so, that instead of hitting his thigh, she hit his side. It felt like someone had thrown a rock at him in the middle of the cold season of Pandora. However, it didn't hurt as much as it did earlier when her blows would usually knock the wind out of him, leaving him falling to the ground on his knees with his arms wrapped around his chest as he struggled to get air into his lungs. By now, Zer0 wasn't certain if Athena was just getting tired from the constant beatings that were forced upon him or was simply feeling sorry for him so she tried to make each loss for him less painful than the last. Either way, his body was almost certainly bruised up by now and even possible had spots where he was bleeding from the constant abuse of his skin in that area. This had been his 14th loss in a row now.

He put a hand gently against his side as he thought he felt the skin break. Getting bandages would be a priority later once they had decided to quit once night had fallen. It was getting close to that point now, the Pandoran sun was just dipping below the horizon giving way to a much more clear view of the Helios space station and the only Pandoran satellite, Elpis.

They had been sparring for what? Four, five hours now?

It was beginning to take a toll on him as his arms and legs felt like jelly. Something he hadn't felt in quite a while so it was unnatural to him. Athena didn't seem any better as she was out of breath and a visible amount of sweat was on her forehead and neck as she raised her arms above her head to not constrict oxygen from getting into her lungs.

"You're distracted," she said, not turning to face him.

It didn't shock Zer0 when he heard this. He knew that she had noticed a long time before this point and had already come up with an excuse to save himself of the embarrassment of forming one of the spot.

"I'm fine, Athena/ Just over-thinking some things/ Try not to worry."

She nodded and doubled over with her hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath. Small droplets of sweat formed on her nose and dropped to the shadowed pavement in front of Scooter's garage as she did this. Her sides heaved and eventually breathed at a steady pace as she got into steady breathing rhythm. Eventually her hands curled into fists as she closed her eyes and stood straight up with her back, cracking and popping along the way. Finally, she put her hands on her sides and looked at him.

_Moxxi was correct/ I am seeing the small things/ Not surprising, though._

"Again?"

Zer0 was shaken from his thoughts as Athena grasped the sword strapped to her back with a questioning look in her eyes and in her tone of voice. With a simple nod of his head, they set off with another round of sparring.

Of course like all the other times, Zer0 was immediately entranced by the way she moved her body to adapt to each blow he threw at her. Her feet would move to another position almost subconsciously and her hand would either soften or tighten on the grip almost instinctively. Then when she attacked, her sides and hips would twist as she gave each heavy hit. Her shoulder blades visibly shown under her shirt as she stretched out her arm to try and get the "killing blow" on him. He was mesmerized by how she fought and it would prove to be his downfall.

When he felt the twist of the grip of his blade, he knew that he had missed something important that she had done. Soon it fell out of his hand and clattered to the pavement. This did not stop Athena as she rushed forward and slammed him against the pavement with her looming over the top of him. Her left forearm rested timidly across his neck as she pushed down slightly with a bit of force to imply that she was choking him. That was it. That was the "killing blow" that ended each round of sparring they had. He had lost again.

"Fifteen times in a row. Are you sure you're okay?"

She swung her leg to the side and sat, criss-cross, on the pavement next to him with her sword laying horizontally on her lap. He brought an unsteady hand up to his neck where her forearm had previously been and gently rubbed it. While he wouldn't feel her choking him, he could certainly imagine what what it _would_ feel like to be choked by her.

"I'm fine."

"Are you positive?"

Was he? He couldn't be certain how to answer this without lying. So he did.

"Yes."

She nodded her head up and down, not bothering to push the subject further than it already was.

"If you're sure."

Athena turned around to look behind her at the setting sun while Zer0 got up, still rubbing his throat, and sat beside her.

"I think we should stop for today. It'll get dark soon."

"Of course."

A few minutes passed as they motionlessly sat there. No words were spoken, though they were accustomed to this by now. The absence of a stable amount of verbal actions between them. Zer0 had once heard a famous saying that said, "Actions speak louder than words." and it certainly described the two of them in this case. Just as Athena was, he certainly did not have a way with words either. However, he liked it that. Being shadowed in mystery with multiple theories as to who, or what, he was was certainly more interesting than coming outright and telling everyone everything. It was more entertaining that way.

Noticing a movement out of the corner of his eye, he looked down to see Athena pick up a flat piece of concrete from the street. Inspecting it carefully, she finally hummed in agreement and put flattest side of it against the flat part of Xiphos. Taking in consideration what she was doing, Zer0 expected that she was going to start sharpening her sword. While he had never learned how to sharp his sword, though he would never admit it because of his own personal pride, he always yearned how to learn. So he began to watch as Athena brought the rock close to the edge of Xiphos and slowly moved up and down the blade.

While he had seen her sharpen her sword from a distance, Zer0 had never seen it done up close. It was almost mesmerizing to watch it be done. Her hand would put a slight bit of force done when it was close to the point of the blade. She went all the way down to the rain guard of Xiphos before repeating the process, slowly putting more and more force onto the red-tinted metal.

Eventually, Zer0 wanted to try it out. While it seemed obvious that he had no clue what he was doing, he hoped visual learning from how Athena was doing it would give him enough experience to try it. Taking his sword, that had digistructed at his side after it fell out of his hands, he picked up a flattish rock and considered where to start. Looking back over at Athena, who seemed too pre-occupied by her work, he finally started at the point and began to work his way down slowly. It seemed obvious that he had no idea what he was doing, but he was just testing to see if he could.

Slowly, he put a bit of force after reaching the small cross-guard that was above the grip and returning back up at the point of the blade. Looking over at Athena, he noticed that she had flipped Xiphos over and was now working on sharpening the other side. Looking down at his own handiwork, Zer0 noticed that nothing had changed since he started. He grumbled noiselessly under his breath and continued his process.

"You're doing it wrong."

Looking up at Athena, Zer0 noticed that she was watching him out of the corner of her eye.

"Do you know how to sharpen a sword?"

"No, I wasn't taught/ I wish I did, however/ Can you teach me, please?"

"Uh, sure. I guess."

She scooted closer until their knees were touching and reached over to pick up his blade.

"Now, you're katana isn't similar to Xiphos. What you want to do is..."

Now, not paying attention was really starting to upset him. The setting sun slightly reflected against her eyes as the orange-red mixed in with her blue-gray eyes. Her eyes lit up as she spoke as well. She had much interest in the subject that he was subconsciously listening to as she talked about it. Her fingers went up and down both edges of the sword as she flipped it over to the other side. Her head bobbed up and down as she spoke as she looked up at him and down at the sword in her lap.

_Beautiful._

Instead of berating himself, as he previously used to, he agreed with his thoughts. It was beautiful to see her like this. _She_ was beautiful.

"-er0? Zer0? Recount to me what I just said."

"You need to start slow/ Put gentle force at the point/ Little at the edge."

"Good. Should I do that constantly?"

"Apply force slowly/ If not, the blade might get dents/ That would not be nice."

"And why should I find the flattest rock to use?"

"Flattest rocks are best/ Bumpy ones create scratches/ Plus, they can make chips."

"Good. It seems you understand what should do."

"Thank you."

Athena nodded and handed him her rock, that she was previously using, and his sword. She gave him a quick pat on the shoulder and got up, slinging Xiphos over her back whilst doing so. She turned and began to walk away, looking over her shoulder for one last call to him.

"You just need to practice it and you'll get it in no time."

Practice... right. Zer0 carefully brought the flat rock against the edge of his katana and began to recall Athena's instruction and tips on how to sharpen his sword.

It helped, at least.

**Author's Note: I felt bad for the last chapter being so short, so I made this one long. This is now the second largest chapter so far in this story. Credit goes to CGAdam (author of the _The space between_ fanfiction that has recently been updated, so go check that out) for giving me the idea for what this chapter should be. So thank you sir/ma'am for that. As always, thank you so much for reading. I still can't believe that this story got so popular. So thank you for reading and see you next chapter.**

**Update 1/13: Fixed grammar mistakes, typos, and sentence structure. Also, added in detail.**


	9. Chapter 9

Surprisingly, she didn't weigh as much as he had anticipated when he first picked up her in his arms and carried her out of Zed's clinic and to his apartment.

While he wasn't expecting Athena to weigh as much as Brick, Salvador, or Krieg, he wasn't expecting her to be equivalent to Gaige's weight either, or maybe even less than that. Her overall short height probably factored into why her weight was so low. If Zer0 had to give his personal opinion on it, she seemed underweight for someone her age and her height.

Shifting her weight in his arms, he opened the door to his apartment and stepped inside. Kicking the door shut behind him, he looked around at the small place that he called home while living in Sanctuary. It wasn't luxurious, if not the complete opposite. It had a single bed placed against the left wall and a table against the other. Said table had magazines of sniper rounds, pistol bullets, and grenades scattered everywhere. A refrigerator resided close nearby that he stocked every few weeks. Natural light illuminated the room from the only, slightly cracked and dirty, window. No it was not luxurious, but something that he fondly called home.

Walking over to the bed against the wall, Zer0 gently laid Athena down on top of the covers. He couldn't tell if she was genuinely asleep or just in a fever-induced haze. She turned her back away from him and faced the wall. Her shoulder blades were visible under the black tank top that she wore as they moved slightly up and down from her deep breaths.

Walking over to the table, he quickly piled some of the discarded magazines of pistol and sniper rounds on top of one another to create room. It didn't take very long for him to remove his mask and chestplate. The first breath of air afterwards shocked his throat and lungs as he adjusted to the fresh air. Finally, he relaxed and leaned back against the wall to take in his familiar surroundings.

His table would need to be cleared off at a later time that week as it was nearly overflowing. While he could do it right now, he decided against it as he feared it would disturb the resting occupant. His fridge would also need to be skimmed over to see if anything was spoilt or close to it. Rubbing the bridge of his nose, Zer0 let out a small sigh and closed his eyes.

Upon hearing the creak of the bed across the room, he opened his eyes and watched as Athena laid on her stomach and lazily hung her arm off the bed. Her cheeks were slightly red from fever and a sheen of sweat coated her forehead and neck.

Closing his eyes again, he hung his head down until his chin hit his collarbone. The sickness that had infected the floating city had been unexpected and was something they were unprepared for. While the cure was to simply rest and to drink many fluids, it had not been suggested or put into practice until nearly three-fourths of the citizens had been infected with it. Those who didn't have the disease were those had built-up an immunity against Pandoran diseases. Salvador was of course an example as he had been born on the planet and hence had a strong enough immune system to fight against it.

Athena had a strong immune system against the disease as shown when she carried citizens inside the clinic hourly across her shoulders. It wasn't until the next day that she started showing signs of being infected, though this did not deter her. Only when nearly all of Sanctuary's citizens who had been infected were in the clinic did she finally get herself checked out. When it was concluded that she did have the virus, she decided against staying in Zed's clinic with all the other people who still had very little reason to still trust her. While it was slightly idiotic to her that the reason for it was her past ties with the Crimson Lance, she respected their wishes and left. So, Zer0 had carried her to his apartment to allow her to sleep her fever off. It made him feel safer knowing that he could keep an eye on her while she slept.

Looking back at it now, he wasn't even surprised at his actions anymore. He knew that he was in too deep for his own good. Honestly, he just accepted it now, instead of constantly trying to deny it like he used to.

Clearing his throat he looked back up at Athena and found himself entranced by her, as he was a lot of the time now. Her fingertips scraped against the floor and her face was half-buried in the only pillow on the bed. Her hair was either fanned across her face and neck or stuck to the sweat on her forehead. Her deep breaths raised her back slightly with each inhale and lowered again with each exhale. Her usual scowled expression now showed a lack of emotion whilst she slept.

Remembering something that Zed had given him, Zer0 reached into one of the pockets stitched to the sides of his pants. After fumbling around for a bit, he managed to pull out a slightly crumpled piece of paper.

_Influenza_

Raising an eyebrow at the title, he began to quickly skim over the hastily scrawled words.

_Symptoms include: fever, sore throat, muscle and body aches, headaches, fatigue, and coughing._

Skeptically, Zer0 looked over at the woman who rested on his bed. It was true that she did have a fever and had severe case of fatigue when he found her. However, she carefully hid pain, both psychologically and physically, so he couldn't tell if she actually had a sore throat or muscle and body aches. Knowing that she would have coughed already, he mentally crossed that off the list as well. Looking back down at the sheet of paper, he continued to read.

_Causes: Unknown._

He rolled his eyes at that section and began to read on.

_People infected are suggested to stay in bed and keep a constant supply of fluids on hand. NOT ALCOHOL._

Zer0 couldn't help it, he snickered as he read the last part. Nearly everyone in Sanctuary was a regular drinker so it had to be mentioned to not drink any alcoholic beverages while sick. Considering his options, he walked over to the fridge and brought out a clean bottle of water. As he slowly walked over to the bedside, he continued to scan the paper for any other information that could be helpful.

_The disease should clear from the body in a day or two. Pandoran time. If not, please contact Dr. Zed at-_

Zer0 stopped reading and crumpled the paper into a ball. Reaching the bedside, he sat down and leaned against the metal frame. He looked over at Athena's arm hanging off the edge, and he gently grabbed it and placed it at her side. Placing the bottle down, he leaned his head back against the bed and let out a deep, long sigh. Tucking the ball back into his pocket, he rested his arms behind his head and let his body go limp as he allowed exhaustion to flood over his tired limbs.

After three or four minutes he heard a groan come from behind him and the bed frame squeaked. Opening his eyes he turned his head to the side, and he found Athena was now laying on the mattress flat on her back. The palms of her hands covered her eyes as she bit the inside of her cheek and struggled to go back to sleep.

"Have trouble sleeping?"

Athena didn't say anything, but she nodded and let her arms drop back down to her sides. She lifted herself up on her elbows.

"Get under the covers, then."

"What would that solve?" she asked, her words barely came out in a whisper.

"It'll make you warm."

If Zer0 was truthful with himself, he had no clue how to deal with sickness. Illnesses that normally infected humans, stomach bugs, fatigue, and colds; never affected him. When he did research about it, he found that his body temperature was simply too high for it to be affected by human diseases. He had immunity against viruses, cancers, colds, cramps, acne. Anything really.

"Being warm doesn't solve everything, Zer0."

"Wouldn't hurt to try, though."

"Fine," Athena groaned as she began to get up. "I'll take your word for it."

It took quite a bit of struggling to pull the covers from underneath her. After a moment she managed to get under the blankets and settled down in the bed, but she still seemed wide awake as she stared at the ceiling. One hand rested on her abdomen while the other was behind her head.

"Does it help?"

"It makes things a bit more comfortable… Yes, it helps some."

Zer0 nodded and stared down at his lap. He began to gently rub the palm of his left hand with his right thumb to pass the time. By now, the sun had slightly dipped over the rooftops causing half the room to have light while the other half was in darkness. Trying to find ways to distract himself, he began to look for something to do. Looking down at the water bottle, he picked it up and began to unscrew the cap.

"Hey, are you thirsty?/ I have a water bottle/ If you want a drink."

Instead of receiving an answer, he heard quiet. Thinking that Athena had fallen back asleep while he played with his hands, Zer0 began to screw the cap back on. He felt a hand on his shoulder and he sat straight up. His hand twitched instinctively towards his belt as he felt warm skin against his own.

"Yes, please."

Mechanically, he unscrewed the cap and handed it over his shoulder. Feeling her fingers unintentionally brush against his sent a warm, familiar feeling across the back of his shoulders and his neck. Hearing the sounds of her sitting up in bed, he kept his head low as he continued to play with his hands while she drank. The bottle was soon placed next to him, half-full now, with an unsteady hand. The bed creaked again as she laid back down.

Zer0 struggled to swallow the spit in his mouth. Her hand didn't feel soft like he had often heard from some of the more pervacious denizens of Sanctuary. Instead, it was rough and cracked from years of brutal physical activity. Having hands like that didn't happen overnight. It took years and years of constant abuse in order to have skin as tough as that. Thinking about it, he vaguely remembered Tannis touching on how assassins of the Crimson Lance were put through constant physical training. That would explain it.

Looking back over his shoulder again, Zer0 found that Athena had turned her back to him and was now facing the wall once more. From what little light was now left in the room, he could see beads of sweat covering her shoulders and the back of her neck. She was, quite literally, sweating the fever out of her body. Her breathing seemed a bit more ragged than it had been previously. Her sides heaved up and down in a way that looked almost painful. It looked as if she was forcing herself to breath now. One arm was tucked under the pillow as she propped her head up slightly and the other laid across her abdomen. Zer0 turned his head slightly to the side, curious.

"Comfortable?"

A slight shrug came from her as she didn't turn to face him.

"Trying to become."

"You have fun, then."

Silence dropped over the both of them as Zer0 leaned his head back against the bed frame again, and happily took in the quiet. There had barely been a moment of silence in the past few days as people came in and out of the clinic. Sitting down was a privilege as well, due to it being the first time in days he had been able to stop and rest for more than five minutes at a time. The serenity was bliss to him.

Feeling drowsiness begin to drown out his senses, he let his head fall to his shoulder. It took a moment of maneuvering before he found a comfortable sitting position where he could easily sleep in. Letting out a long, calm sigh he closed his eyes.

The feeling of a hand on his shoulder didn't stir him back awake. Neither did reaching up and grabbing it with his own . He began to groggily map out the rough, thick skin in his head. He squeezed it gently. Zer0 didn't know if he imagined the hand squeezing back, but he let out a small smile nonetheless.

**Author's Note: Beta-read by Foryewhoartliterate. Thank you for reading.**


	10. Chapter 10

"Tell me about your scars."

It wasn't as much as a request as it was a demand. He hadn't meant for it to come out as bluntly and felt instant embarrassment wash over him.

"I'm sorry, I shou-"

A raised hand interrupted his apology as Athena lowered the water bottle from her lips. She seemed a lot healthier than she had been yesterday when Zer0 had brought her to his apartment. She sat up straight on the edge of the bed while he leaned against the table on the other side of the room. Her blackish-blue hair was slightly disheveled and had a few strands that stuck up in odd places. Her tank top had ridden up some to show off some of her tanned stomach and her right hip. Not really an appearance you would expect from the most lethal assassin on Pandora.

"Why the sudden curiosity?"

He looked down at the floor, surprised at her question. He rubbed his neck awkwardly and he started to ponder it himself. Why was he all of a sudden curious about her scars? While he had fleetingly wondered about it before, he never had the courage or the initiative to ask before. Whilst thinking it over, he didn't notice Athena get up from the bed and walk over to him. Upon seeing her gray socks in his peripheral vision, he glanced slightly up at the shorter woman, who had her arms crossed over her chest and a questioning gaze in her eyes.

"Well?" she asked as she reached behind him to set the water bottle on the table.

"Each scar has a tale/ Some are vicious, some are not/ I'm just curious."

Athena nodded along to his words.

She turned away from him and walked back over to the bed. "What would you like to know?" She asked as she sat down in her previous spot.

Following suit, Zer0 sat down beside her and began to trace her figure with his eyes. Multiple scars were visible on the surface of her skin along her shoulders, arms, and neck. Without thinking, he began to reach out and brushed the small set of triangular shaped flecks that dotted the right side of her neck and led down her shoulder. Instead of tensing up as he expected, she merely rolled her shoulder as she attempted to get used to the feeling of a warm hand on her cold shoulder. Letting his hand drift up towards her neck, Zer0 curiously brushed the small crescent shaped scar underneath her chin, barely the size of the cap of a beer bottle. Instead of letting his fingers linger under her chin, he instead decided to return back to the flecks across the shoulder and neck.

"These."

Athena seemed to pause in thought for a moment as she lifted her left hand and began to trace her own scars with the tips of her fingers. Zer0 retracted his hand as he felt their fingers rub against each other.

"Vehicular explosion. Someone placed a contract on me and I threw Aspis at the assassin's technical as he tried to run me over. The velocity of the vehicle propelled pieces of shrapnel forward that lodged in my shoulder and neck," Athena explained as she looked up at him.

"Could you not heal the wounds?"

Athena shook her head.

"Sadly no. I couldn't take the risk of there being multiple assassins, so I ran. It must have been three hours before I stopped and removed the pieces with a pair of tweezers. I didn't carry any insta-heals with me at the time, so I had to bandage them up and wait for self-healing to take it's course."

"Must have been painful/ To not have the resources/ In order to heal."

Athena gave a shrug and looked down at the floor.

"While it's almost certainly not healthy, I'm very used to feeling pain," she clarified.

Zer0, clearly surprised, looked at Athena with slightly widened eyes. She seemed so nonchalant about admitting that pain was a common occurrence to her. Considering his next option, he decided to drop the matter for the moment and lifted his hand again. He thought of going to her shoulders or to her back, but instead he went to the spot underneath her chin. Lifting her head, he gently rubbed the crescent underneath her chin with his thumb. Their eyes met and Zer0 found himself getting lost in the blue-gray color of them. Making sure to remember where each speck of azure dotted her eyes, he spoke his request.

"This one."

"I was chasing after a hit and he had climbed on a rooftop. I wanted to get the jump on him, so I started to climb the side of the building. Unfortunately, it had rained the night before and I ended up slipping. I hit my chin against the ledge of a window and ended up losing my target," she explained without wavering her gaze against his own.

"Ouch."

"It was more of the shock of slipping than of the pain of hitting my chin."

Removing his fingers from under her chin, Zer0 curiously began to look for where he should ask about next. Looking across her back, he found a peculiar scar that was half hidden by her tank top. It was a straight line that went diagonal along her back from underneath her left shoulder blade and probably ended at her right hip. Placing a hand tenderly against her right hip he looked up for permission to continue. Receiving a nod from her, he lifted up the fabric and concluded that he was correct in that the long scar stopped upon reaching the bone. Ghosting his index and middle finger across it, he felt her immediately stiffen and stopped his movements. Clearing his throat, he removed his hand and allowed the tank top to fall back into place.

"That one."

Athena reached behind her and gently rubbed the spot where his fingers had been. Upon looking at her face, he noticed a small tinge of red beginning to grace her cheeks and ears. While it could've been possible that her sickness was starting to take a toll on her, Zer0 began to suspect it had to do with allowing him to play with her skin. Figuratively, as he doubted he would ever be allowed to do something as lewd as that with her.

"Rabid stalker," she voiced, causing him to be shook from his thoughts. "I was clearing out a den of them in the Helios Space Station when it managed to get behind me and hook its claws in my back."

"They have stalkers there?/ I thought stalkers were native/ Only to this place."

Athena shook her head and leaned forward with her elbows on her knees, waiting for him to continue. Looking down at her arms he noticed a very large, jagged scar that went from the palm of her left hand to her elbow. Not even bothering to feel it underneath his fingers, Zer0 pointed at it and waited for a response.

Upon looking down at where he pointed, Athena went from a light red to pale. She opened her mouth to speak a few times, but would close it soon after. Eventually, she resided to just running her fingers along it from the palm of her hand to the crook of her elbow. This continued on for a few minutes before she looked up at him with a mix of surprise, pain, and even… fear in her eyes. Swallowing harshly a few times, she bit the inside of her cheek and proceeded to let her hand drop away from her left arm.

"Torture."

Surprised at such a short answer from her usually long explanations, Zer0 raised an eyebrow at it.

"By whom?"

Athena closed her eyes and took in a deep breath.

"The Lance didn't like it when we messed up," she said through gritted teeth.

Upon realizing what was just spoken, Zer0 began to shake with… with what? Anger? Guilt? Disbelief? Probably all three. He gritted his teeth and balled his hands into fists. He struggled with the urge to herd together all the Crimson Raiders in the city and learn if any of them were ex-torturers. Taking a few deep breaths he looked softly at Athena who had returned to rubbing the scar on her left arm. Too preoccupied to notice him, he quickly took her hand in his hand and held it making her look up at him.

"How many?" He asked.

"Dozens."

Tightly grasping her hand in his, he brought it up to his mouth and placed his lips against the knuckles of it. Breathing uneven, short breaths against the back of her hand, Zer0 began to struggle with his own rage again. Removing his mouth, he replaced it with his other hand.

"You know I'm broken, right?" Athena blurted out of nowhere.

Zer0, worried, looked at her with an intense gaze as she stared at the floor.

"I mean killing your whole family and being taught that you were nothing, nothing but a weapon your whole life? Who wouldn't break from that?" She explained with a small, uncomfortable chuckle upon finishing.

Zer0 leaned forward and pressed his lips against her temple.

"You aren't a weapon/ You are a beautiful woman/ Not a gun or tool."

Taking her hand from his own, she proceeded to wrap her right arm around his waist and pulled him closer. Knowing what she wanted, he proceeded to engulf her frame in his arms as well while his lips didn't break contact with the side of her head.

"You aren't a weapon/ You aren't a **goddamn** weapon/ Do you understand?"

She nodded and wrapped her other arm around his waist. Resting her forehead against his chest, Zer0 proceeded to pull her into his lap.

"You never were one/ You need to remember that/ So you'll be okay."

"I appreciate it," she whispered.

He shrugged and leaned back until his shoulders hit the wall. Removing his lips from her head, he proceeded to hold her closer. His protective side of her was, metaphorically, on his sleeve.

"Scars are not just scars/ They're badges of a fighter/ I always think that."

Athena proceeded to nod and allowed herself to be held. Zer0 place the side of his face against the top of her head and allowed the quiet of the room to take over for the moment until it was broken.

"So…" Athena began as she lifted her head to look at him. "You think I'm beautiful?"

_Oh boy._

**Author's Note: Beta-read by Foryewhoartliterate. Sometimes, I can't help, but feel bad for Athena. Probably just me. Still taking chapter suggestions as well. Thank you for reading.**


	11. Chapter 11

Owing to the constant flow of side quests given to him on a daily basis, Zer0 had ceased to be surprised at the abnormality of the more peculiar requests. So, it didn't surprise him when Moxxi asked him to kill an ex-girlfriend of her's that had been spouting raunchy and offensive things about her on the ECHOnet. Venturing out to the Highlands in order to undertake the contract, it never occurred to him how strange Moxxi's request was. It didn't take long to find the hideout where the profanity spewing ex-girlfriend was hiding and it took even less time to slice her neck. Taking extra care to not break the rope chord that was hung from the dead woman's neck, he proceeded to strip her of it and leave.

As he entered Moxxi's Bar in Sanctuary, the first thing that Zer0 noticed, to his puzzlement and suspicion, was that Athena was sitting at the bar. It was obvious to him that something was bothering her. Her right knee bounced up and down in an impatient manner and her fingers drummed against the counter. He had never seen her willingly at Moxxi's Bar. The two women were still _slightly_ hostile towards one another, despite it being nearly four years since the incident, in which Moxxi had tried to kill Athena in a Singularity explosion of the Eye of Helios. The two of them rarely had any interaction outside of a few spoken words on the street or in the Raider HQ.

As he walked over to Moxxi to give the dead woman's necklace to her, he noticed that Athena's head was down and she stared at the counter, completely zoned out. She agitatedly chewed on her bottom lip, to the point that he was slightly surprised that it hadn't started to bleed. A few strands of hair hung in front of her face and in her eyes, but she made no move to tuck them behind her ear or brush them off to the side. She was completely distracted in whatever she was doing, similar to him.

Hearing someone clear their throat in front of him, Zer0 turned and faced away from the young woman across from him and saw Moxxi smirk at him with her hand stretched out, clearly expecting something. A red exclamation point appeared on his mask as he reached into one of the pockets stitched into the side of his pants and retrieved the slightly bloodied necklace out of it. Holding it out so that Moxxi could see the prize he had claimed from her ex-girlfriend, she nodded happily and took it from his grasp.

"Wonderful work sugar. Another bandit, and ex of mine, dead," Moxxi complimented him.

Zer0 nodded at what she was saying, but he kept his attention focused across the bar counter. Athena had changed positions so she was leaning against the countertop on her elbows. Her hands were clasped tightly together, though she still tapped her right index finger against the back of her left hand. She had stopped biting her bottom lip, leaving a small red mark where her teeth had chewed into it, and had instead taken to biting the inside of her cheek as a substitute.

Hearing someone clear their throat once more, Zer0 looked back at Moxxi. She seemed to notice his behavior and he mentally cursed himself for being caught.

"Enjoying the sight?" She teased him.

A red '/ / /' appeared over his visor to show that he was blushing. Zer0 didn't remember when or how that started to show up on his mask, but he began to hate when it did. He was a man of mystery and disliked showing any emotions that said otherwise. Without an answer to her question, he turned around and was about to walk out the front of the bar before she called back at him.

"Don't you want your reward sugar?" She asked him.

Moxxi was onto something. She always was. He would say that it was just her nature to do so, but he began to ponder if she did it for fun nowadays, to screw around with other people's lives. She still hadn't learned her lesson, or didn't care to, after she tried, and failed, to solidify the marriage of two goliaths from the Hodunk and Zaford families.

Zer0 turned back towards her and noticed the familiar, mischievous glint in her eyes. The way she motioned him closer with her index finger sent uncomfortable chills down his spine, though he couldn't say no to her. She was much more dangerous than most people credited her for and she scared him sometimes. Imagine that. The mysterious, death dealing assassin being scared by the large-breasted, sexually symbolized bartender.

He walked back a few steps towards the bar and waited for his so called "reward" from her. She hadn't offered him a reward when she gave the quest so he was confused as to what she had planned now. Her cat-like smile widened as he approached.

"Your reward? It's over there," Moxxi grinned as she pointed across the bar towards… Athena.

In retrospect, Zer0 should have known something such as this would happen. However, at the time he didn't and was at first a little shocked that Moxxi would tell him something as bold as that. The red '/ / /' returned on his mask again as he faced towards Athena and watched her. He found himself feeling a little queasy at how Moxxi had called Athena his _reward_. It didn't sit well with him and he turned back to tell Moxxi that.

"She's not a reward/ Don't refer to her as that/ It's disrespectful."

Zer0 didn't mean for it to come out as a warning, but it did anyway. Seeing Moxxi's unwavering gaze at his unintentional threat, he turned back to Athena. Taking a deep breath, he walked over to the stool beside her. As he slid into the seat next to her, she seemed not to notice or care.

"Impatient, bored, or distracted?" Zer0 joked as he didn't really expect a reply from her.

"Can't I be all three?" Athena questioned as she lifted her gaze from the countertop to where she expected his eyes were.

Zer0 shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. He didn't expect a reply from her at all, and if he did, he didn't expect one so quickly. He didn't know how to answer her, so he stayed quiet while she let out a tired sigh and rubbed her eyes with the palms of her hands.

"Bothered by something?" He finally asked.

"Yes," she answered.

"You want to talk about it?"

Athena let out an annoyed sigh and ran her fingers through her hair, effectively messing it up even more.

"I'm a woman of action, not immobility," Athena explained. "I pick fights instead of waiting for them to come to me." Sighing, she ran her fingers through her hair once more. "I feel cooped up. I haven't been outside this city since the raid on the Bloodshot Dam and that was close to six weeks ago. I'm itching for some action."

"I thought you could leave."

She shook her head and continued.

"Lilith used to let me leave the city for a few hours at a time. But now she's confined me here until further notice," she told him with a slight bit of bitterness in her tone.

If the relationship between Moxxi and Athena was slightly volatile then the relationship between Lilith and Athena was completely sour. Well, more like it was sour on Lilith's end and bitter on Athena's.

"Have you tried talking?/ It could help change Lilith's mind/ Or make her think to." Zer0 asked, puzzled.

"I'd rather not get on her bad side, again," Athena admitted to him.

She broke her gaze away from his faceplate and stared back down at the countertop. A thought popped up and he reached over to pat her shoulder with his hand. He hovered over the non-armored cloth for a moment before placing his hand down. He left it there until the uncomfortable feeling of being watched flowed through him. Zer0 released his grip on her shoulder and let his hand fall to the side. Trying to find a way to start a conversation again, he blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"Distract yourself."

Athena looked up at him, confused.

"I'm sorry, can you repeat that? I zoned out."

"Distract yourself," Zer0 repeated, this time saying it much slower.

She raised an eyebrow at his proposal and seemed to consider it for a few moments.

"And how do you propose I do that?" She asked him, catching him at a standstill.

Zer0 opened his mouth to answer, but closed it shut soon after. He rubbed his neck awkwardly and considered what to say.

_Damn my stupid mouth/ Damn my overly quick tongue/ Damn quick reactions._

"Humor me," he finally answered.

"Sorry?" She asked, confused, but also slightly tickled by his response.

"Humor me," he clarified.

"Humor you. Like… **humor** you or just _humor_ you?" Athena asked, quizzically.

"I'unno."

Athena inhaled deeply and then exhaled slowly causing some of her hair to be blown off of her face. She hummed in thought as Zer0 waited patiently.

"Okay. What did the dead comedian say to his skeletal friend?"

A red question mark appeared on his mask. This was **not** what he was expecting.

"What?"

"'Why, you can be as humerus as me with a little elbow grease.'"

Zer0 sighed in disappointment. "Terrible."

Athena took the comment in stride and shrugged, smiling slightly. She clearly didn't expect a standing ovation for the pun. Putting her index finger on her chin, she stared at the ceiling in thought.

"Okay, how about this one. What did the wife skag say to the husband skag when he returned home late for work?"

_This'll be good._

"I don't know."

"Why _den't_ you call home to tell me you were working late tonight?"

"Horrible."

Shaking his head, Zer0 couldn't believe what he was hearing, Athena making terrible jokes in an attempt to distract herself. If you told him about it a few hours ago he probably would've laughed in your face. But now their playful banter filled their area of the bar.

"You act like you can do better," she taunted him.

"Oh please Athena/ I know I can do better/ If I do say so."

Chuckling under her breath, she looked up at him and and seemed to size him up. Self-conscious about what she was doing he shuffled uncomfortably in his seat.

"Okay, wise guy. Let's see what you got."

"Hmm…" he hummed in thought.

Zer0 absolutely lied to her. He didn't know anything about how to make a good joke. While it seemed that Athena's were pretty terrible, he knew his were far worse.

"Why are there fences around a graveyard?"

Athena shrugged and waited for a response.

"Because people are dying to get in," he said, finishing his joke.

"Absolutely horrible, but points for creativity," she rated his joke.

Zer0 suddenly felt… determined. Determined to make her laugh and to make her smile larger. It was just an internal gut feeling that he had to. Maybe it was his competitiveness coming out, or something else, but he absolutely yearned to make her laugh. He... never heard her laugh before.

"Why was ten afraid of seven?" he asked.

"Because seven _eight_ nine, Zer0," she answered rather quickly.

Athena seemed to ponder her next words. Her index finger tapped monotonously against the countertop and she bit onto her bottom lip again.

"Okay, how about this: What do you say after you have eaten a minty-flavored thresher?" She asked.

A question mark appeared over his visor.

"What a re-thresher."

As he thought of something, he quickly spoke.

"Did you hear about the guy whose whole left side got cut off?" He asked.

Athena shrugged. "No, what happened to him?"

"Oh, he's all right now."

Athena smiled and shook her head at what he just said. Understandable as even he cringed at it.

"_Eden _you should have gotten that joke, Athena."

She rolled her eyes at his even more terrible play on words pun.

"Come now, Zer0. I have to be _pun_ctual on Pandora and ignore all the stupid references everywhere to make a living."

Letting out a sigh in disgust, he considered what he should try next. Clearly, they were absolutely horrid at this little game. Before he could even reconsider what he should say next, Athena spoke up.

"You wouldn't be able to pour water out of a boot if the instructions were on the heel of it."

Zer0 snickered. He couldn't stop himself until he let out a low laugh. He wished he could cover his mouth, but couldn't with his mask. The one Athena had just made was actually pretty good compared to the earlier ones. Good enough that it had made Zer0 laugh, albeit very quietly. But it was still enough to, and that was probably an accomplishment all on its own.

"I will admit this/ That one was actually good/ Extremely well done," Zer0 complimented her as he continued to quietly chuckle every few moments.

"That was unintentional," Athena admitted, rather sheepishly if he thought.

"Well, no matter what/ It was still extremely good/ It helped make me laugh."

Athena nodded and smiled. She looked down at the countertop as a small red tint appeared on her cheeks. She tucked some of her hair behind her face and smiled a bit wider. Looking back up at him, she placed a hand on his shoulder and patted it gently a few times.

"Thanks. This… it helped a lot. We should do it again sometime," she told him.

A red question mark appeared.

"You're leaving so soon?/ The fun has just started now/ Be a shame to go," he said, wistfully.

She began to get up from her seat, not yet taking her hand away from his shoulder. Then, she reached over and placed her lips against the side of his mask where his left cheek would be. A few moments passed before she let go of his shoulder and removed her lips from the glass that composed his faceplate. Not very surprised anymore about this kind of action, Zer0 instead felt… wanting of it. If that was the word for it.

"Good talk, Zer0," she said to him and turned away.

Turning his head slightly to the side to watch her out of his peripheral vision, he saw her beginning to walk towards the side exit beside the slot machine. As he remembered something, he called out.

"I'll talk to Lilith."

A raised hand acknowledged him before she exited the building and disappeared out of his view.

Turning his head back to the bar, he noticed Moxxi had been there the whole time, unbeknownst to the both of them. Smiling underneath his mask, he gave a quick red ';)' and proceeded to get up from his seat to leave.

**Author's Note: I don't really have much to say other than you're always allowed to send me in ideas for chapters. Thanks to CGAdam for giving me this idea because it was so much fun to write. Who knew thinking up bad puns could be so difficult, but so very rewarding at the same time? Beta-read by Foryewhoartliterate. Thanks for reading.**


	12. Chapter 12

He watched her, which wasn't uncommon anymore.

However, this time it was different in that he wasn't beside her. Instead, Zer0 watched from the scope of his Jakobs sniper rifle. While it would have been weird, and almost certainly creepy in any other given situation, but it wasn't in this one. He saw her glance at where he was perched on the cliffside. Giving a small nod of her head she reached up and grabbed the top of the barricade that surrounded the bandit camp.

"Show time," Zer0 muttered.

"_You got an overview of the camp?_" His ECHO, hooked to his belt, blared out, even at its lowest volume setting.

"I have a clear view/ I'm just waiting on your count," Zer0 responded.

"_Roger._"

Athena, still hanging from the fence, pulled herself up and over, momentarily disappearing from his view before bracing her back against the wall of a hut, still facing him. She only carried Xiphos, strapped across her back, and Aspis, hooked to the gauntlet on her left wrist. She waited as the bandits strolled behind her, oblivious as to what was about to happen.

"_We takin' it nice and slow this time?_" She asked.

"It's your choice this time," he answered, surveying how many overall bandits there were.

"_We stealthed our way through the last camp._" Zer0 could visibly see her mouth move, but her words came from the device on his belt. "_Wanna try and go all out this time?_"

"Well, when we do that/ It usually ends in blood," Zer0 advised. "But it isn't ours."

"_We'll take this nice and easy._" Athena smirked from what he could see.

He smiled himself as well. It was true, they had become accustom to testing their abilities clearing out the old bandit camps that had overrun the Dust. At least he had kept his promise to get her out of Sanctuary, even if it was only for that day. And he intended to make it as lively as he possibly could.

"You up for a game?" He asked.

"_What do you have in mind?_"

Zer0 could see her peer around the corner of the cylindrical hut before turning back towards him. He lifted his hand and gave a short wave that she returned. She lifted her hand towards her left shoulder and grasped Xiphos, waiting patiently for him to answer.

"Whoever kills the most wins. Peak your interest?" Zer0 smirked as he picked out his first targets, an unaware psycho who sat on a red barrel and a marauder standing next to him. They seemed to be discussing something avidly, as shown by the hand movements they both made.

"_That's a challenge?_" Athena asked as she turned her head around the corner again to survey the clearing. "_It's sweet you're calling it that, Zer0._"

"Then it's decided?" Zer0 said, needing clarification.

"_May the best killer win,_" Athena said.

Then, the ECHO channel they were using went off in static as he watched her flip the switch on the side of the device clipped onto her belt. She gave him a thumbs up, without looking at him. He smirked and lined up his shot. Watching Athena rush towards someone from the edge of his scope, he fired.

The bullet went clean through the barrel, causing the gasoline to ignite, killing the psycho and his marauder companion. Quickly switching targets, Zer0 found Athena had already killed at least three other bandits: two nomads and midget psycho.

Two to three so far. The odds seemed to be in her favor for now.

Inhaling deeply, Zer0 held his breath and fired again. The bullet went straight through the skull of a firing nomad who fell to the ground.

Three to three.

Snapping his view to the nomad's companion, a marauder, who seemed unaware of the nomad's demise, he fired again. Instead of achieving a headshot, the bullet struck the bandit's armored shoulder and ricocheted into the dirt beside him. It effectively dazed him long enough for Athena to appear and slice off his opposite arm, leaving him to bleed out.

Three to four.

Grinding his teeth in frustration, Zer0 searched the camp through his scope only to see no one in his view. Lowering his rifle for a moment, he found that a large group of bandits were surrounding her. Quickly bringing his scope back to his eye, he lined up his sights and fired. The bullet went straight through the side of the head of a nomad taskmaster and through the neck of a marauder. Both fell to the ground seconds afterwards.

Five to four.

"What a gruesome sight," he muttered. "Kill two for the price of one."

That action didn't go unnoticed, a few psychos and marauders saw that their comrades fell not to the Gladiatrix, but to an unknown assailant. Turning to the sound of the another gunshot, they focused towards his location on the cliff.

"I guess show's over," Zer0 muttered, dropping his sniper rifle and watching it disappear in a cloud of light blue digistruct blocks.

Taking a step back, he took a deep breath and rocked up and down on the heels of his feet. Giving himself a few reassuring nods, he took a running start, jumped, and landed on a ledge jutting out of the cliff. Jumping down again, he landed on another one, much lower than the first, his legs ached with the force of the fall. A bullet passed by his head and he turned to face the direction of the shot. A nomad taskmaster was pointing in his direction, combat rifle in hand. A few more bandits took potshots at him. Quickly jumping down so as to avoid the bullets, he landed on the ground with one hand placed flat against the dirt and the other stretched out so as to balance himself as he landed.

Not waiting to regain his composure, Zer0 took off towards the gate. Using what momentum he had accumulated from his short sprint, he hefted himself up and over the wall, katana out and ready. Instead of being an immediate target to the bandits as he expected to be, he was instead shocked to see them still attacking Athena. Lowering his sword so that the tip of it was almost touching the ground, he cocked his head to the side and watched as Athena shredded any foe in her path. He momentarily forgot about the little game between the two of them.

She bounced fluidly between each target, sword readied in hand and shield activated so as to block any attacks, whether they be from bullets or buzz-axes. She was absolutely slathered in blood. At first glance, Zer0 had thought she had sustained heavy injuries and almost made a move to disrupt her dance and kill the rest of the bandits. However, upon closer inspection he saw that the blood didn't come from her, it came from the bandits that she had killed. A trail of blood followed wherever Xiphos left a body, covering her in the crimson liquid whenever she swung her arm back for another strike.

Shaking his head clear of thoughts, Zer0 rushed forward and cut a psycho in half vertically. Not bothering to watch the two pieces fall to the ground, he quickly switched targets to a nomad across the clearing who had just came out of a hut as if he hadn't heard the battle going on minutes ago. Sprinting forward, he pushed forward on the last step with his toes and stabbed the nomad in the chest. Removing his sword quickly, Zer0 suddenly felt himself fall to the ground as a taskmaster struck him with his shield.

"You're pissin' me off!" The taskmaster yelled.

Quickly gathering himself, he rolled out of the way as the enemy tried to stab the bottom of his shield into the ground where he had been. It would have snapped his spine if he had stayed there for a second longer. Lifting himself so that he was in a crouched position, he gripped his blade tightly and started to rush forward so as to try and cut the nomad taskmaster in half. However, the taskmaster suddenly lurched forward as a pair of red spikes protruded from his chest. In a sickly manner they spun around, causing blood, black cloth, and what Zer0 assumed to be muscle to fly forwards. The body fell over gracelessly with a loud _THUD!_

Just as soon as it happened, a psycho replaced him and rushed towards Zer0. Side-stepping out of the way, he watched as the deranged man run past him, stopped, and turn back around to charge again. Waiting patiently for his oncoming attack, Zer0 took note of how the area seemed to be much more clear now. Not as many living bandits occupied the space and those that did weren't focused on him for the moment.

"I'm gonna ride you to Mom's house!" The psycho yelled, bringing Zer0's attention back to his attacker.

Zer0 silenced him with a slice to the neck a few moments later, watching him clutch at the gash in a weak attempt to stop the bleeding, only to fall to the ground in failure.

What was the score now? Eight to… whomever Athena had killed so far. Honestly, he lost track of who she was fighting in his own parade of violence.

Turning around to find his next target, he saw only two psychos were left in the bloodbath. Both stood back-to-back in the middle of the clearing in between him and Athena. She stood loosely, her sword grip tightly in her hand as she breathed heavily, worn out from the battle. Then she rushed forward.

Zer0 knew that she was quick, but quick to the point where he had to second guess what he saw made him feel queasy.

A few seconds later, Athena stood in front of the corpses of the horizontally split psychos. Eyes widening, he swallowed harshly and threw his katana to the ground next to him, not bothering to watch it disappear in the familiar light blue light.

Taking a deep breath, he strolled over to her, arms swinging at his sides. "Nice work, Athena." Stopping in front of her, he crossed his arms behind his back. "That was the fourth camp today."

Holstering Xiphos across her back, Athena looked around the blood-splattered clearing, intent on finding something. Turning back around, he noticed a confused, worried glint in her eyes.

"Something the matter?" Zer0 asked as he put a hand on her shoulder.

"Usually, the camps have a few tougher bandits in them," Athena clarified. "They're usually the leaders of the pack, but…" Bringing her hand to rub the bridge of her nose, she sighed. "This one didn't have any. It's confusing to say the least."

A red question mark appeared. "You've noticed as well?/ Thought I was the only one/ But, I see your point."

Athena walked away, letting his hand fall to his side. She walked over to the nomad taskmaster and Zer0 noticed the origin of the spikes were from Athena's shield, Aspis. She must've seen what had happened and thrown Aspis so as to kill, or at the very least daze, the taskmaster. However, instead of returning to her gauntlet after being thrown, it had instead dug itself into the nomad's back, to the point where only half of the shield could be seen. Hooking her fingers under the concave part of the inner side of the shield, she gave a strong tug.

"_Great,_" Athena said exasperated.

"Problem?" Zer0 asked, walking over.

"Aspis is stuck in his chest cavity," Athena told him. "Give me a few minutes."

"Can I provide help?" Zer0 touched her arm, causing her to look up at him.

"No, no," She refused. "I can get it."

He nodded and turned around. Bodies dotted the clearing. Most had limbs removed and the very few that didn't had bullet holes. Blood covered the ground, a product of the violence. Turning his head back around, he found that Athena had put her feet against the dead taskmaster's back and was grasping Aspis with both hands now, pulling upwards harshly. He chuckled and took a step forward to help her.

"I'M GONNA WATCH THE LIGHTS," A loud voice rang across the clearing. "THE LIGHTS DIM FROM YOUR EYES!"

Spinning around quickly, hand already on the grip of his katana, Zer0 gulped at the sight as a badass psycho in the doorway of a hut across the clearing. A laugh came from him as he saw the enemy get stuck in the doorway, as his large shoulders couldn't fit through the entrance to the hut. The psycho, seeing his problem, disappeared back inside and suddenly burst through the doorway, causing flecks of wood and cloth to fly everywhere.

"Badass!" Zer0 yelled behind him.

Prepared, Zer0 flicked his wrist and his hologram sprang out in front of him, turning himself invisible for a short amount of time. Using what little time he had, he felt the familiar weight of kunai attached to wrist and began to throw as many as he could at the charging badass. A few managed to hit, but it didn't seem to slow down the badass psycho. Instead, it seemed to enrage it even more as it began to run at his hologram at an even faster speed. Then, the hologram disappeared.

The psycho slowed down slightly, but sped up after noticing that in the hologram's place was Athena.

Of course Zer0 would activate Decepti0n right in front of her.

Athena stared down the psycho with a calm gaze, almost as if in a trance. She still tugged at her shield stuck in the nomad's back, but was using less and less force now. Then, she beckoned the psycho forward. Seeing the taunt, the badass psycho continued its charge with a revived purpose.

"IT'S GONNA FEEL SO GOOD! I PROMISE!" It yelled.

Zer0 began to run over to try and cut off the psycho before it had a chance to reach her. Athena noticed and held up a hand to stop him. He acknowledged the gesture and dropped to his knees, slid a few more feet forward and effectively stopped.

The psycho, now barely 10 feet away, lifted its buzz-axe in a jolly manner, swinging it wildly above her head.

Five feet. Athena crouched down, hands still grasping the underside of Aspis.

Then, the psycho was upon her, swinging its oversized buzz-axe at her crouched form.

_CRACK!_

The sound rang out through the nearly empty clearing.

The psycho spun around, clutching its mask as half of it fell away, giving sight to its bloodshot, black eye. Its jaw now hung by a few tendrils of skin and muscle, heavily bleeding. Behind him, Athena stood battle-ready, Aspis in front of her with the wings of it spinning around.

"Come on!" Athena taunted. "COME ON!"

The psycho didn't back away from the challenge. It spun back around, buzz-axe going in a wide arch. However, it didn't take into account that she had her shield out and activated. Upon hitting Aspis, the psycho's buzz-axe bounced off it and slipped from his hand. Athena, seeing her opportunity, rushed forward and sliced off the badass's arm with Xiphos.

"GIVE ME MORE!" The psycho said as he scrambled to quickly pick up his buzz-axe with his other hand.

Athena noticed. Striking with Xiphos, she managed to cut him diagonally along his chest, but her sword got stuck about midway. The psycho then toppled over backwards, dead.

Zer0 got up and slowly approached. Athena breathed heavier and sweat dripping from her chin as she leaned down with her hands on her knees. She swallowed harshly as he stood at her side, hand on her back giving her a few weak pats.

"That was impressive, you know. You handled that well." Zer0 complimented her.

Athena nodded, standing straight up. She reached out and grasped the grip of Xiphos, giving a few pulls and twists so as to remove it from the dead badass psycho's chest. A moment later, it was pulled out, blood dripping as it exited from the wound.

"Twenty-two," Athena said, holstering Xiphos.

"Eight," Zer0 told her.

"Well, looks like I won." She turned towards him, eyes clouded.

Noticing this, he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Something wrong?"

She shook her head. "No, I'm… I'm fine."

Athena was a terrible liar.

"You're lying," Zer0 pointed out.

"Zer0, I'm fine," Athena exclaimed. "I'm fine, okay?"

Deciding to drop the subject, he nodded. She wouldn't open up to him if he forced her to.

Athena looked around, eyes surveying their… mess.

"Damn. We really cleared house." Athena whistled.

"Yeah, we really did." Zer0 scanned the clearing as well.

A silence wrapped around the two of them, comforting and inviting, contrasting the violence the two of them had just committed. Zer0 looked over at Athena who seemed to be thinking things over, eyes expressing emotions that were foreign to him. She chewed at her bottom lip, something she did frequently as of lately. Her right index and middle finger tapped against her left forearm.

Hesitantly, he slowly placed his arm across her shoulder. She seemed to… stiffen during the first few seconds, but soon relaxed into it. Smiling, he rubbed comforting circles into her shoulder.

"_Bonjour! Athena est il?_"

The two of them jumped apart at the sound of the shrill voice. Looking around for the source, Zer0's eyes wandered to his belt.

"_Bonjour? Il ya quelqu'un?_" The voice resonated from his device.

Athena followed his eyes and reached down to unclip the ECHO device from his belt. Taking it in her hands, she flipped the switch so that whoever was on the other line could hear her.

"Aurelia?" She asked. "What are you doing on this ECHO frequency?"

"_Darling!_" Aurelia said. "_Seriez-vous mon compagnon sur un voyage de chasse?_"

"English, Aurelia," Athena reminded her.

"_Oh, apologies!_" Aurelia said, chuckling. "_I forgot sometimes that the lesser people of this planet do not understand the higher privilege of bilinguality among the richer folk._"

"Charming, Aurelia," Athena teased before her expression became confused. "How did you even get on this frequency?"

"_Oh, where are my manners?_" Aurelia cleared her throat. "_That Tannis lady, sweet gal, gave me the code to this frequency in exchange for telling her where to find a quality burgundy, walnut chair._"

"A burgundy... walnut chair?" Athena asked.

"_Poor people's choice of sitting._" Aurelia chided. "_I could have told her about the richer, sturdier varieties of woodwork that I used for whenever guests came over, but she wasn't interested._"

"Uh… okay?" Athena said. "Why are you on this frequency?"

"_Straight to business I see, Athena. That's what I like about you._" Aurelia complimented. "_But, let's get down to it. Would you like to go hunting with me?_"

Athena turned her head to look at him.

Zer0 shrugged. "Your choice Athena, not mine."

Athena turned back to the ECHO device in her hands, turning it over and over again in her palms. Seeming to come to a conclusion, she stopped.

"I'm out with someone at the moment, Aurelia," Athena told her. " So no, I won't be joining you."

"_Au revoir, then darling!_" Aurelia declared.

"Wait, wait!" Athena blurted out.

"_Yes, what is it?_" Aurelia asked.

"Don't let it slip to Lilith that you're not going to be in Sanctuary," Athena reminded.

A playful laughter came from Aurelia. "_Darling, do you know who I am?_"

Athena rolled her eyes. "Goodbye, Aurelia."

The ECHO device went off in static a moment later. Athena handed Zer0 back his device and stood with her hands behind her back. Zer0 clipped it onto his belt.

Casually, he slipped his arm back across her shoulders and began to rub comforting circles against her shoulder blade again.

"So, when am I supposed to be back in Sanctuary?" Athena broke the silence.

"Whenever I am," Zer0 responded, looking down at her.

"And when will that be?" She asked.

"It's your choice, not mine," he told her.

Athena looked up at him and smiled. A genuine smile from her.

"That's good to know."

**Author's Note: Alright, here's the deal: I'm most likely going to change the goal from 10-20 chapters to 20-30 chapters because of how much I enjoy writing the evolving relationship between these two and I feel like there is still more to do. Also, fun chapter to write. Aurelia was fun to write and the combat was fun to write. Beta-read by Foryewhoartliterate. Thank you for reading.**


	13. Chapter 13

It was silent in his apartment, as it usually was, whether he was there or not. The only indication that there were people inside were the two breathing masses on top of the bed. Neither of them had bothered to get under the covers to guard against the early morning chill that seeped through the small crack under the door and webbed across the single window. Across the room from the bed, on top of the single table that Zer0 had finally cleared off, was a pile of worn red armor, along with a bloody shirt, scarf, and black tank top. Beside it was, what could be assumed to be, a black and gray chestplate, glass mask, and gloves. Underneath the table was a shield with the Omega symbol across its surface, a red sword still sheathed in its scabbard, and a black belt with a long, black tube hanging from it.

Her arms were tucked underneath his own bandaged and bruised hands, splayed across his chest as she kept him in place, and the leg that was placed over his own were as immobile as the rest of her. Athena was as tired and beat up as he was. However, what he couldn't tell whether or not she had fallen asleep or was in an exhaustion-induced haze like he, not yet fully asleep or awake; an in between state. It wasn't until the feeling of her hands curling into fists, blunt nails scraping across the tan bandages wrapped around his chest, indicated that she was in fact awake.

"What are we?" Athena blurted out.

Surprised by her question, Zer0 opened his eyes. Turning his head slightly so that he could look at her from his peripheral vision, he noticed how her eyes seemed clouded over. It seemed clear to him now that she had been in deep thought moments before.

"We're professionals," He answered, thinking of the first thing that came to mind.

She sighed and shook her head. "No, that isn't what I meant."

"Care to elaborate then?"

"What are _we_? What are you." She paused to tap his sternum with her knuckle. "And I?"

"Why are you asking?"

He started to turn around, ignoring the ache in his joints and the pain from day-old gunshot wounds and buzz-axe cuts. Stopping once he laid flat on his back, his right arm slipped underneath her and wrapped around her back. Her own right arm was slung across his stomach, her left holding his right hand in place at her hip.

"Well, just look at us," Athena murmured.

Zer0 raised an eyebrow, clearly not understanding what she was insinuating. Athena, noticing this, rolled her eyes.

"Okay. How many times have we slept in the same bed, or room, with each other? Holding each other?" She stated.

He ran the fingers through his hair with his left hand, exhaling from his mouth as he pondered on it. "Four? Fives times, I think."

"And how many times have we kissed each other?"

"Technically, we haven't kissed," he pointed out.

She shook her head. "Doesn't matter. It's still the same principle."

"Fine. It's seven times."

"See what I'm getting at?" She concluded.

"Yes, I see your point." Zer0 nodded. "We've known each other for months. Why does it matter?"

"It's just strange to me. _Really_ strange to me," Athena confessed. "I've never had anyone do that stuff with me before." She gripped his right hand tighter. "I guess it's all just surreal to me, thinking about it right now."

Zer0 nodded as she spoke. Thinking of something, he brushed a few strands of hair out of her face and leaned down, kissing her forehead. Catching a few whiffs of her peculiar cinnamon scent, he leaned back and buried his nose in her black-blue locks. Not feeling her stiffen at his action, he smiled and began to rub comforting circles against her hip bone with his right thumb.

"That's eight times now," he murmured.

It had been enough to make her snicker, something of which he rarely heard anymore; it was enough to bring a smile on his face.

"Yeah, I suppose it is."

Letting go of his right hand, she wrapped her left arm around his shoulders, pulling him closer. Now it was quiet. The same familiar silence that seemed to constantly trail after them whenever they were alone with each other. It wasn't unwanted or undesired. Instead it seemed to be welcomed between the two of them. It allowed time to ponder about future actions and words. And that was exactly how they used it.

"Hey, can I ask you about something?" Athena said.

"And that is?" Zer0 laid his chin on top of her head.

"Smile for me."

Taken aback by the request, he leaned away from her, confused. Her left arm slipped from his shoulders while he did so that her hand was now placed flat against his chest. Noticing his confusion, she cleared her throat, a small pink blush spread across her cheeks and ears.

"Sorry, I mean: I want to see your teeth," she elaborated.

Still confused, he opened his mouth, allowing the inside to be shown. Athena lifted her left hand and cupped his chin. Turning his head from side to side slowly, she observed his peculiarly-shaped teeth.

"Your teeth are strange," she noted. "Why are they so sharp?"

Opening and closing his mouth a few times, he attempted to grind his teeth together only to feel the familiar ridges of each tooth locking against each other, stopping the process from happening.

"I'm carnivorous/ My teeth make ripping easy/ Chewing not so much," he answered.

"But I've seen you eat other food."

"Nutrients," he stated bluntly, shrugging as he did so.

"Do you eat a lot?" She asked. "Since your diet mainly consists of protein and not carbohydrates it seems like you must."

Zer0 shook his head. "Surprisingly, no/ My metabolism's slow/ So, I rarely eat."

Athena nodded, content with his answer. Suddenly, she grasped his chin again and turned his head sharply to the left side, exposing the right side of his head.

"Wanna explain what happened to your right ear?" She requested.

Without a second thought, he spoke. "A sniper bullet/ Grazed the right side of my head/ And clipped my right ear."

It was true. A half circle cut off the tip of his right ear, leaving an amethyst scar in its wake.

"You didn't wear your mask before?" She said, confused.

"No."

"Why not?"

Zer0 shrugged. "I used a hood then/ A mask didn't cross my mind/ Until I got shot."

Suddenly, she let go of his face and propped herself up on her left forearm. "Wait, wait. So, you're saying that you were still an assassin back then?"

"Yes."

"And you never thought to cover up your identity?" She deadpanned.

"Not 'til then," he admitted, rather sheepishly.

Athena sighed, probably at his younger self's ignorance. Then, to his surprise, she leaned forward and pressed her lips against his ear. Zer0 could feel her breath tickling his skin as she kissed the tip of his ear for a few moments. Pulling back slightly, she cleared her throat.

"That's nine now," she murmured.

Reaching up to grab her forearm with his left hand, he pulled her down against his chest. Not hearing or receiving any resistance from her, he proceeded to wrap his arms around her waist, nose returning to her hair as he breathed in deeply. Her own arms wrapped around his chest. This didn't surprise him. What did surprise him was her right leg laying itself on top of his hip, pinning him down. Trying to not react in surprise at the act, he pulled her closer.

"You know what we are?" He murmured into her hair.

She shook her head.

"Good, cause I don't know either. And I don't want to."

Not receiving a response, Zer0 closed his eyes and allowed the intoxicating scent of cinnamon to flood his senses. Feeling the previously forgotten exhaustion creep in his limbs, he sighed and let his body go limp. A few minutes went by and he couldn't tell if Athena had fallen asleep. Her slow, steady breathing and immobility suggested it, but it could have been another exhaustion-induced haze, similar to the one he currently found himself in. Maybe he co-

_BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP._

Both of them jolted in surprise, Zer0 turned his head around to look at the table across the room. The light on his ECHO device was lit up in bright red, the loud beeping noise coming from it.

Receiving a groan from Athena as he got up from the bed, he limped over to the table. Leaning down, he picked up his belt and unclipped his ECHO device. Pushing the green 'Answer' button he was met with a loud banging.

"Hello?" Zer0 greeted groggily.

"_Z!_" Gaige's voice resonated.

"Yes, Gaige?" He asked.

"_Z, oh my god! Du-,_" she started to say. "_HEY!_"

The sound of scuffling came out of his device.

"_Z, you there?_" Axton asked.

"Axton," Zer0 returned the greeting.

"_You sound weird,_" Axton blurted.

"I'm sorry?" Zer0 said, confused.

"_Yeah, you're voice isn't so robot-y._"

Zer0, remembering that his mask wasn't on, smacked the palm of his left hand against his forehead. Thinking of something quickly, he continued.

"It's the ECHO call/ Causing some interference/ Distorting my voice," he lied.

"Nice save," Athena complimented behind him.

"_Before Gaige takes this from me, you have to get over here!_"

"_AXTON!_" Gaige's distant voice screamed.

"_Oh sh-._" Before Axton could finish his sentence, the sound of scuffling came back. Zer0 could imagine that Gaige had leaped onto Axton's back and was trying to reach the ECHO device in his hands.

"You're friends are very weird," Athena commented.

Turning around, ECHO device still in hand, he saw her sitting on the side of the bed, right hand reaching to rub the back of her neck and in between her shoulder blades.

"What about your friends?" Zer0 asked, ignoring the bickering and sounds of fighting.

"Oh, I know my friends are… oddballs," she admitted. "Aurelia's a snobby aristocrat and Timothy's an ex-doppelganger turned mercenary." She sighed in disgust. "And then there's Claptrap."

"Oh, you don't like Claptrap?" He teased.

"When you work with him for weeks trying to save the moon from an invasion of rogue Dahl soldiers and then go into his mind… you learn to love the littlest things in life." Athena rubbed her eyes.

"Unbelievable." He chuckled at her attitude at the robot who had grown accustomed to calling him "minion".

While he could not complain at the… nuisance that was Claptrap, he found it hard to absorb the information that even the calm, usually well-tempered Gladiatrix had an intense disgust, and possible hatred, for her former partner.

"_Zer0?_" Maya's voice surprised him enough to cause him to jump slightly.

"Maya."

"_Sorry about those two,_" she apologized."_They probably didn't tell you anything, right?_"

"No." He began to turn the ECHO device around in his hands, relishing in the comforting weight of the small, black rectangular box.

"_Well, we, Axton, Gaige, and I, are planning on showing Aurelia and Timothy the Highlands. The other two wondered if you wanted to tag along?_"

Considering his options, Zer0 looked down at his chest. The tan-colored bandages that covered his navy-blue skin were enough to convince him that joining a trip that had a high possibility of encountering enemy resistance wouldn't be the brightest idea. However, just to test something, he looked up to see Athena with a curious, and possibly even a worried, look in her eyes as she stared at him.

"I have injuries/ From my time out yesterday/ I will not join you." Zer0 answered, not taking his eyes off Athena.

She visibly relaxed once he had said that. Muscles loosened, shoulders drooped, and her eyebrows unfurrowed. He could just barely hear her sigh through her nose.

"_How bad is it?_" Maya asked. "_Would you like me to come by with a few medicinal hypos for your wounds when we return?_"

"Nothing serious," Zer0 answered her first question. "And I'd appreciate it. If you brung hypos."

"_Do you… want me to leave them outside your door?_" Maya offered.

"Yes, please."

"_Okay, listen. We're about to head out. Try and get better, 'kay, Z?_"

"Goodbye Maya." Zer0 ended the call.

Inhaling deeply, he clipped the ECHO device onto his belt and leaned his head back. Giving a drawn-out sigh, he closed his eyes and stretched his arms behind his back, groaning at the feeling of muscles being strained and joints cracking and popping.

"'Z'?" Athena asked, hints of amusement in her tone.

_BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP._

Opening his eyes, he saw that Athena was staring at him, expecting him to get his ECHO device back out. Unclipping his device from his belt, he showed it to her, pointing towards the dim light.

"Not mine."

Instantly, her hands scrambled to her own belt and unclipped her own ECHO device, turning it on as she did so.

"Hello?"

"_Darling!_" Aurelia greeted.

"What is it you need Aurelia?" Athena questioned, eyebrow raising.

"_Hey 'Thena! How are you?_" Timothy's scraggled, broken voice came through.

"Hello, Tim. I'm fine," Athena responded. "Why do you ask?"

"_Darling, a soldier saw you coming out of the Fast Travel station covered in blood, clutching your sides as if you had been smacked with a diamond-studded golf club,_" Aurelia piped up.

"Who?"

"_Guy named Jessup,_" Timothy responded.

"Corporal Lanceman Franklin Jessup. Ranking: Staff Sergeant. Regiment 451. Division 343. Squad Lambda," Athena said rather quickly.

For a few moments, there was silence on the other end of the ECHO call.

"_Uh?_" Timothy finally piped in.

"Nevermind." She shook her head. "Listen, I'm fine now. All patched up."

"_Are you sure?_" Timothy asked, worriment evident in his voice.

"Yes. I've had worse, you know," Athena reminded them.

"_We know. We were there when you "had worse", 'Thena. We know,_" Timothy said.

"_Well, let's get down to business,_" Aurelia interrupted impatiently. "_Seeing as how you didn't join me yesterday, would you like to do so today?_"

"You're getting out of Sanctuary again today?" Athena asked.

"_Ah, yes. I managed to convince the blonde, the robot-armed young lady, and that Siren to get me out of here. Again,_" Aurelia responded.

"I don't think freezing someone's face counts as "convincing" them, Aurelia," Athena said, skeptically.

"_Pah, personal opinion,_" Aurelia argued.

"_Anyways! Wanna join us, 'Thena?_" Timothy asked.

"I sustained heavy injuries from my time outside in the Dust yesterday. So, no, I won't be joining you," Athena responded. "Try not to blow anything up."

"_We make no promises,_" Timothy said, ending the call afterwards.

Clipping the ECHO device back to her belt, she looked up at him. Probably noticing the small smile on his face, she lifted an eyebrow and cleared her throat.

"'Thena'?" Zer0 chuckled.

"Oh, shut up." Athena rolled her eyes.

**Author's Note: As usual, fun chapter. I don't really have much to say in this author's note other than that Foryewhoartliterate beta-read this chapter. Oh, and you can always send in chapter suggestions if you'd like. Thank you for reading.**


	14. Chapter 14

Out of recent habit, Zer0 reached across the bed, only to feel cold sheets. Instantaneously, he opened his eyes and looked over for any indication that Athena had slept by his side last night. The pillow hadn't an indent for where her head would have been. The sheets were flat and unrumpled, and nothing had been moved from his messy table to accommodate her gear. Sighing in disappointment, he rolled over onto his back and rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

For weeks Zer0 had found himself waking up to Athena by his side; arms around his thin torso, hands flat against his back, nose buried into the dip in his neck, her hair invading his eyes as he slowly blinked his drowsiness away. He was rarely conscious enough to feel the dip of the mattress from her weight, that straightforward signal that she was making her way towards him. It was peculiar to him why she appeared in the dead of night, when exhaustion had overtaken and dulled his senses, sleep overcoming his mind and body. But his curiosities went unspoken in the dark. Those same questions would stay unspoken as they sat up and prepared themselves for the day ahead, not giving thought or trying to introduce reason into why she carved her way into his side every morning.

He wasn't going to argue. He'd _given _her the key she was using, after all. So why wasn't she here now?

Cracking his knuckles, he arose from his bed and paused. The small red light on his ECHO device was illuminated. Swiftly crossing the room, he picked it up off the table and instantly a message popped up on the screen.

_Couldn't make it tonight. Things had to be taken care of. Try to be by in the morning. Sorry._

_-__**Ω**_

Raising his eyebrows, he turned his ECHO device off and placed it back on the table. He stretched his arms above his head, feeling the familiar strain of muscles and joints.

To his relief, what he _didn't_ feel was excruciating pain from a buzz-axe injury had made waking up and getting out of a bed a hassle and nuisance for the past few weeks, almost making him regret his typical yearning to start the day; favoring laying in bed compared to the constant soreness and occasional throb of pain shooting up to his chest, knocking the wind out of him a handful of times.

Athena had noticed almost immediately after waking up one morning. Her eyes filled with worry, she'd ignored her own painful and tender injuries to dash to the refrigerator and retrieve a medicinal healing hypo. Every morning for days, she would bring him hypos after they had awoken, patiently sitting next to him until the medicine fully drained into his side and the painkillers kicked in.

The sound of the door lock clicking jolted him from his thoughts and sent a shiver of tension up his back. Zer0 forced his body to relax after he realized that the only other person who could have unlocked his apartment door was Athena.

"Good to see you up," Athena greeted, opening and closing the door the door behind her quickly.

"Good morning as well."

She slowly made her way over to could tell she was assessing him, searching for any indication that his side was bothering him. Just as he surmised, she reached out and carefully placed the palm of her hand just above his right hip.

"How's your side?"

"Much better than days before," he responded. "You shouldn't worry."

She lifted her head up to look into his eyes. "I think I'm allowed to." She paused and the light in her eyes dimmed. "It was my fault."

"Do not blame yourself/ It wasn't ever your fault/ It was mine only," Zer0 corrected her, concerned over how she still blamed herself for a few of his deeper wounds.

"If _I_ had been paying attention that psycho would have been dead," she lowered her gaze back to his wound, thumb brushing over the long amethyst scar that went from close to the middle of his abdomen to his spine. "And you wouldn't have _this._"

In a second, he lifted his hand and cupped her face, pulling her eyes towards his once more. "It is not your fault/ Never blame yourself for this/ You did nothing wrong."

A sigh escaped through her nose, but she nodded. A smile graced his lips and he nodded as well, contented at Athena's rather reluctant agreement. A moment of silence passed until his hand slid off her cheek. He cleared his throat awkwardly, realizing their close proximity to one another. Their chests nearly touched, arms brushing every which way they moved, and he could have sworn they stood toe-to-toe with one another. She noticed just as quickly as he did, and took a step back, fingertips still touching his fresh scar and gently brushing over his skin.

"Do you want a hypo just in case?" she asked, breaking the silence.

"I think I'll be fine."

"Positive about that? Wouldn't it be better safe than sorry?"

Zer0 considered his options, but finally shook his head. "I think it's healed up by now." He raised his hand as he noticed that Athena was about to argue again. "Save the medicine."

"If you're positive, then fine." Her hand finally dropped from his side. She walked over to the fridge, opened it, and grabbed two bottles of water from the inside.

Zer0's reflexes kicked in as she threw one of the bottles at him and he caught it midair. Quiet footsteps grew louder as Athena walked back towards him. Leaning back against the table, she put the palm of her free hand on the surface and pushed herself up, feet dangling as the sat down.

Zer0 raised an eyebrow and smirked at her marginally childish action. She looked down at her hanging feet, swaying ever so calmly to and fro, a thoughtful gaze in her eyes.

He couldn't help but notice her biting the inside of her cheek.

"Sorry for… not being here last night," she finally confessed.

He shrugged. "Things had to be done/ I can't hold that against you/ That's petty of me."

"Did you…" She paused. For a moment, Zer0 thought he saw her cheeks turn a shade of light pink; a blush. "Have trouble sleeping last night?"

He shook his head. "Not that much trouble."

An enormous lie - although he'd never tell her that. He did have trouble sleeping last night without her next to him, holding him, _comforting_ him. Without her, it had been a night of pure restlessness, tossing and turning constantly. The covers always cold, the lack of someone to hold almost maddening. Sleep was rarely easy for him, but last night it was nearly impossible.

"Did you have trouble sleeping? _Did_ you sleep at all?" he asked.

She responded with a noncommittal shrug. He doubted that she had. Her movements were slightly sluggish and she had dark rings under her eyes.

_BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP._

She sighed, rubbed her eyes, and unclipped her ECHO device from her belt. Looking down at the screen, she nodded to herself and got up off the table. Stretching her arms above her head, she walked over to him, stood on her toes, and placed a short kiss on his jawline. Zer0 suspected that if he had leaned down to receive the kiss it wouldn't have been in such an abnormal spot. Nonetheless, it made him grin and he lifted his hand to caress the spot.

"Aurelia needs me," she explained, a hint of disgust in her tone.

"Okay."

Despite his adamant distaste for the cold, older woman, he had to accept that Athena did find something trustworthy in her. Although that "something" was unknown to him, he did find himself pondering about it from time to time and almost asked her about it on numerous occasions.

Athena lingered for a moment. She looked...almost reluctant to leave his abode. Finally she said, "I'll be outside Scooter's if you need me."

Zer0 nodded in agreement, his mind working quickly. She walked over to the door and grasped the knob, turning her head slightly sideways to look at him once more, and left.

The door clicked in place.

He set his plan into action.

Grabbing both bottles, he threw open the refrigerator door and set them inside. He kicked the door closed as he walked back towards the table, grabbing his breastplate.

Rushed movements quickly slipped it over his body and pushed the clasps along his spine into place. Stretching his arms out in front of him and leaning down, he grunted in satisfaction as the piece did not break open, despite his rather hasty, lax motions. He looped his belt around his hips and clipped on all his necessary equipment: shield, grenade mod, sword handle, and ECHO device. Finally, he donned his mask and pushed the clasps along his collarbone into place.

Rocking his head from side-to-side, he smirked and walked over to the door.

He closed the door behind him, locked it, and dropped the key into one of his thigh pouches.

As Zer0 turned around, he couldn't help but attempt to breathe in the fresh, cold morning air that drifted up from the Highlands and layered Sanctuary in a refreshing with his helmet restricting the sensation of outside sources, he smiled at knowing it was relatively cool outside; a welcoming change from the extraordinarily uncomfortable heat on the Pandoran landscape below.

He began casually making his way towards Scooter's Garage, kicking up traces of dust and dirt while he walked. He noticed the ever present glances from the handful of awakened citizens of Sanctuary. The look of admiration was common, but he also saw envy mixed in. A spark of nervousness and fear was ever present, as it was common knowledge that wherever a Vault Hunter went, trouble would soon follow. Then, there were eyes brimming with sadness and despair; the recent loss of a loved one was often the cause.

Zer0 averted his gaze and continued walking, head held high, standing straight and tall; a stance of confidence. Rounding the obelisk in the middle of town, he turned left once he reached Zed's Clinic. He could hear someone vomiting coming from inside the building, be it from the excess drinking of alcohol or slag poisoning.

He continued on his way. It was highly possible that Zed would require his assistance later in the day in helping the poor patient, either by ending his misery or attempting to find a cure for the rampant diseases that plagued Pandora and its inhabitants.

The distant sound of voices caused him to pause outside the side entrance of Scooter's Garage. For a moment, all he did was listen to the cacophony. Not being able to distinguish anyone's individual voice, he resumed his walk.

Rounding the corner, the first and foremost thing Zer0 noticed was Gaige. She was sitting in front of Tina, her mass of red hair freed from its normal pigtails. It took him a second to realize Tina was braiding the redhead's hair.

"Girl, you need to use like..." Tina trailed off, parting Gaige's hair in three sections. "Some conditioner or somethin'." She sighed and tried to pull a knot free. "Cause this is all tangly and stuff."

"Rude." Gaige rolled her eyes, waving at him.

"Girl, girl, girl." Tina 'tsked' her. "C'mon, I'm just sayin'."

He left the two girls to their discussion and looked over at the edge of Sanctuary to see Aurelia and Athena, a small crate next to them, Moxxi's logo on the side. Walking over, a _ping! _caught his attention and looked down beside him to see Timothy, with a small screwdriver in his mouth and a half disassembled watch on the ground, reaching frantically around. Looking down, he noticed a very small screw that he had nearly stepped on, and undoubtedly it would have smashed it in the process. Reaching down, he plucked it off the ground and offered it to the searching man.

"What?" Timothy asked, voice muffled. "Oh, thanks." He reached out and grabbed the screw.

Not commenting, Zer0 walked over to the two women who stood at the edge, both who seemed to be in a deep and rather irritated conversation with one another.

"Athena, darling, _please_!" Aurelia's grating voice carried a strange note of pleading. "Do _try_ to understand the unnaturally obliging advice that I'm bestowing upon you!"

"Aurelia." Athena's voice was dangerously low. The few times Zer0 had ever heard her with that tone, she at the point of craving to rip some poor sap apart limb from limb. "I told you we are not having this discussion."

"Tsk, darling. Do try to participate. I don't say these things to just anyone."

Athena leaned down and picked up an empty bottle from the crate. "No, you say these things to intentionally cause trouble and misconduct," she said bluntly.

"Who?" Aurelia smirked. "Me?"

Noticing the argument was clearly not going in a positive direction, Zer0 took a step forward and placed his hand against Athena's lower back.

She whirled around instantly, hand gripping the bottle and arm swinging back slightly, almost as if she planned on smashing it in his face. Then she looked up at him and paused. Her eyes softened slightly and he felt the taut muscles in her back slacken.

"Ah, look who it is," Aurelia greeted. "Why, we were ju-"

"_Aurelia_," Athena growled lowly, not looking in the blue blood's direction. "Don't start."

"I'm just pointing out tha-"

The bottle shattered in Athena's fist, causing the area to go dead silent. For some unnerving reason, he felt the surprised eyes of everyone on him, almost as if everyone expected him to try and resolve the conflict between the two women.

Aurelia narrowed her eyes at the Gladiatrix's behavior before shrugging, evidently dropping the matter that they had been discussing. Reaching behind her, the palm of her hand swiped across the ECHO device clipped to her belt. A glossy Maliwan shock sniper rifle digistructed into her hands.

"Well, since you refuse to talk, shall we continue with what I've called you out here for?" she asked.

Athena silently picked the shards of glass out of her gloves, not giving the older woman an answer. Zer0 rubbed comforting, slow circles with his thumb against her shirt, trying to ease the suddenly strained muscles in her back.

"Fine," she agreed, though the irritation and anger dripping from her voice suggested that she wanted nothing to do with the older woman.

His hand fell away from her as she walked a few steps back to pick up another bottle from the crate. Athena paused for a moment as the arms in her muscles tightened, and she breathed deeply through her nose.

"What ar-?"

Before he could continue, she skipped forward a few steps, the heels of her boots just barely missing from clacking together. Her arm swung back and hurled the bottle into the air. He couldn't help but watch as it arced in the air before plummeting back towards the ground. Intrigued, Zer0 tilted his head to the side while she stood beside him, hand massaging the bend of her elbow. Before he knew it, the bottle shattered in a shower of glass, differentiating in color as light bounced off each shard.

Aurelia lowered the rifle to her side, a smug smirk on her face.

"Impressive," he complimented.

"Thank you, darling, thank you." She turned her attention away from him and towards Athena. "Again."

Glancing down, he watched as she picked up another bottle. Her eyes burned in irritation, vexation, and annoyance; a deadly combination. Just as before, she skipped a few steps forward and threw the bottle. Watching it arc in the air, the sound of a gunshot signaled its destruction.

Not watching the fragments fall to the Highlands, Zer0 lowered himself to Athena and whispered, "You dislike this work/ It irritates you greatly/ Having to do this."

She lowered her gaze to the ground and sighed. "Yeah."

"You wish to leave, right?"

"That I do."

"Leave Sanctuary again. Go some place brand new," he continued, watching her expression grow more hopeful and wanting. "Fight a few creatures/ Destroy a few bandit camps/ Feel your blood rushing."

A small smile formed on her face. "That sounds really good, actually."

"Again," Aurelia commanded.

Athena's eyebrows furrowed as she picked up another bottle. Not watching her setup to throw it, he stared straight ahead. The light footsteps that skipped towards his side gave him the indication that she was throwing the bottle and the gunshot was a clear signal that it had shattered.

"Want to leave?" he asked.

"I'd love to."

Zer0 nodded and slipped his hand into hers. "Let's go."

A shocked look appeared on her face, eyes widening. Noticing the interested and somewhat arrogant smile from Aurelia - not to mention the curious looks from Gaige and Tina- he led Athena away from the edge and into the street.

"Where are we going?" Athena asked.

Her gaze was locked on their entwined hands.

A pulse of uncertainty ran through Zer0. He loosened his grip, slipping his hand out of hers. "Sorry."

Athena's hand grabbed his wrist and slid back into his own, tightening between his fingers.

"No, it's..." Athena paused, a blush surfaced on her face, lighting up her cheeks and ears in crimson red. "It's fine."

Uncertainly, he looked down at their hands and nodded. "Where do you want to?"

She looked around, gaze uninterested in her surroundings. The city of Sanctuary had been thoroughly searched during her long time spent here. Finally, she looked up at him and shrugged.

"Anywhere is fine." She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. "Anywhere but here."

Nodding at her answer, they began walking towards the Fast Travel station. Out of horrid habit, he began to chew the inside of his cheek in thought, barely wincing once his dull back teeth bit into the soft flesh.

"Think Lilith will mind?" Athena asked.

A question marked illuminated the front of his mask, practically asking her to explain.

"Do you think Lilith will mind if you take me out of Sanctuary?"

Zer0 mulled the question over for second. It was highly possible that Lilith would find some irritation in the lack of knowledge from himself taking Athena out for the day. However, with a little persuasion once they had left, it _hopefully _wouldn't be too difficult to calm the Siren's nerves. Besides...

"I really don't care."

Ignoring the intrusive looks from Sanctuary's citizens, they entered Pierce Station, and he walked over to the Fast Travel with Athena beside him, still unwilling to let go of his hand. It seemed unusual how each of his fingers fit so snugly between hers, but he refused to complain about this, and couldn't stop the small, tender smile from etching onto his face.

Placing a hand against the node, a hum emitted from his throat as he location would have to be some place she would enjoy, but also find a thrill from the activities.

Quickly, he typed in the code to Aegrus and lifted a hand, offering Athena to Fast Travel there first. While he normally didn't enjoy going there, especially during the day when the heat of Pandora caused the swamp to become unbearably hot, he couldn't question that it would be the perfect spot for Athena to cool off and release steam.

An eyebrow raised, but with the trusting gaze in her eyes, she accepted the Fast Travel location and shimmered away in a cloud of light blue blocks.

Moments later, Zer0 traveled after her.

* * *

><p>The swampy, damp terrain of the continent of Aegrus was just as unpleasant and revolting as he had remembered. His feet sunk into the soil with each step and the warm air of the environment clouded his face plate.<p>

Walking up beside her on the cliff side, Zer0 saw the curious and fascinated expression on her face. She looked every which way in the gloomy light, and attempted to catch a glance at the environment. Her mouth hung slightly open with what he could guess was amazement.

"What _is_ this place?" Athena asked.

"Aegrus, a swamp land/ Home to creatures of all kinds/ Deadly and lethal."

"You must enjoy coming here, then," she guessed. There was a tiny, knowing curve to her lips.

"Most of the time, yes/ Their deaths are enjoyable/ They are challenging."

She knew him very well. While it was obvious that he had confided with her that the foremost reason he had come to Pandora was for the challenge that the Vault offered, she hadn't seemed to care for it. His reason for becoming a Vault Hunter was_ his_ reason, and she saw nothing less of him for it.

"Wanna get to work then?" A playful grin flashed on her face, hand already reaching behind her to grasp at the handle of Xiphos. Even without her lethal Aspis, she appeared dangerous as ever. A dangerous woman that he had, he realized now on the cliffs of Aegrus, completely fallen for.

If he had to wager on his own opinion, she had accidentally, unexpectedly, and totally fallen just as hard for him.

"Let's."

With that Athena jumped off the cliff and into the unknown territory below, just as determined to beat him at the mortal game they had created in their months spent with each other.

**Author's Note: I understand that I said I would probably not update this story while working on "Date Night", but I had a chapter idea and I went with said chapter idea. Beta-read by CGAdam. Thank you for reading.**


	15. Chapter 15

"I'm sorry," Zer0 muttered for what felt like the hundredth time that.

Athena shook her head and bit down harder onto the belt wrapped around her hand, eyes squeezing shut as the needle plunged in and out of the cut on her right foreleg.

With a final pull of the thread, he cut it with a pair of small scissors and tied the two frayed pieces together.

"If I hadn't slipped up, I wouldn't have gotten hurt," Athena growled as she lowered her hand.

"It is not your fault/ Things like this happen sometimes/ Hazards of battle." He lowered his hands from the freshly stitched wound and placed the needle and scissors back in the medical kit. "You'll know the next time." With his hands still inside, he grabbed a roll of gauze and turned his attention back to the task at hand. "Don't worry about it now." He slowly unrolled the gauze around the wound. "Let's get this wrapped up."

"Uh, yeah..." she said sheepishly. "Thanks for that."

Zer0 looked up at her and nodded, grinning. "Anything for you."

She sighed and looked back down as his hands tucked in the tail end of the roll of gauze under another strip. There was a few seconds pause before she cleared her throat to catch his attention. He blinked and looked down, finally noticing how his fingers were gently kneading her leg muscles, taking care to stay away from the freshly wrapped wound. He pulled his hands away and back into the med kit.

"Any other wounds you have?"

"Can you check my back? I think that borok managed to break the skin."

He nodded nonchalantly at the request, hands moving towards the outside of the med kit and picking it up, feeling Athena slip her leg off his lap and move around behind him. Grimacing as he waited for her to stop moving, he looked inside the kit and shook it slightly, groaning at the lack of supplies. He would need to restock soon. Another trip to the Bloodshot Ramparts, possibly, to see if there was anything left that he could scavenge.

Unfortunately, that seemed unlikely. He had made many trips before and mostly came up empty-handed.

"Everything alright?"

Athena's voice startled him from his planning. He turned around, noticing that she now laid on her stomach, shirt ridden up to show her scarred and muscled back.

"We're low on supplies," he confessed, and set the kit down beside her.

He hadn't even had time to look over his own wounds, bruises, and soreness just yet, which worried him. The worst thing that could happen to an assassin was that they were unable to carry out any contracts that they had accepted. He regretted the thought of having to use a medicinal hypo to heal his wounds, especially with how few there were left in the refrigerator.

"A supply run as tomorrow's mission, then?" Athena offered slyly.

"Perfect."

Zer0 leaned over her and immediately noticed the giant, dark purple bruise on the left side of her back. It partially covered her shoulder blade and nearly reached down to her hip bone. Previously, it had been unseeable by the dim lighting of the room, catching him slightly off guard as he stared at it. He reached out slowly and ran his fingertips across the hot, tender skin, and flinched back when he heard Athena yelp. She buried her face into the pillow and he saw the muscles in her arms tensing up as she grasped the pillow case, letting out a muffled groan.

"Sorry," he murmured apologetically. He reached into the kit and rummaged around, hoping to find something useful.

The thread and needle? No broken skin. Gauze? That would probably just make it worse. Aspirin? While it would usually help the pain, the medicine was long expired and had probably lost all usage. Lighter? Yeah, _definitely not_.

He continued to search and tossed random items onto the bed until he finally picked up a small tube of cream. He had found it during a quick peek into the apartments in Opportunity, and had tossed it into the kit as soon as he got home, not bothering to check it. As he read along the small printed lines across the tube, he smiled and uncapped it, squeezing a small amount into the palm of his hand.

It was a bruising cream.

"Relax," he told her, hovering his hand over her skin before placing his palm against her back, feeling her muscles tense up and a shaky groan escape her mouth.

He gently rubbed the cream across the majority of her bruise, the heat of her skin almost worrying him to the point of desiring to grab the thermometer in the med kit and take her temperature. Mentally shaking himself from his thoughts, he concentrated on the task at hand.

"Everything alright?" Athena asked, turning her head to look at him.

"Yes, I'm nearly done."

It took only a few seconds longer until there was a glisten on her skin from the cream. Then he took a few seconds to look across her back, noticing old scars that he spent a few nights in the past few weeks tracing and listening to their origin stories, and fresh scars, which caused a frown to unintentional form on his face. However, there were other matters to attend to, so he left them alone for the time being.

"Finished. You can sit up now."

Athena pushed herself up on her arms, cracks and pop resonating from her shoulders and neck. She sighed in contentment and scooted over to the sit on the edge of the bed, shoulders slumped and eyes staring at the ground. An exaggerated shiver passed through her body. "That's_ cold_. What did you smear on me?"

He handed her the uncapped tube. "It's a bruising cream."

Her eyes fluttered back and forth as she read the small text on the side, eyebrows raising in surprise. She looked back up at him. "Inter-"

Before she could continue, she dropped the tube in her lap and grabbed the sides of his head, pulling her down towards her. It wasn't until they were inches apart that he noticed her gaze wasn't on his face, but his neck. Her eyes were calculating, contemplating, and even a little angry. Her face twisted into a scowl.

"You have a wound on your neck," she said.

Zer0 leaned away from her and placed the palm of his hand on the left side of his neck., He flinched as he felt damp and flecked dried blood smear his hand, and pain shot through his neck and shoulder. Why he hadn't noticed it before was a mystery. _Probably adrenaline._

A hand grasped his arm and pulled him back down until he felt Athena's breath on his shoulder as she judged the wound. There was a few seconds of silence until she let him go and reached for the medkit between them to fish out something.

"Wha-"

The glint of metal in his peripheral vision caught his eye, and he looked down to see her holding the needle and the spool of thread in her hands. She dropped the spool on the bed and cleaned the bloody needle on her shirt. Looking up into her eyes, he saw a determined, almost mechanical glint in them as she meticulously wiped her blood off the needle. They weren't gazing into his own; instead fixed upon the cut on his neck.

"I shouldn't have to warn you about this, but it _will_ hurt," she said. Athena stopped and pulled the lighter out of the medkit, flicked it on, and ran the flame over the needle for a few seconds. Once done, she shook the flame out and closed the cap, dropping it into the kit before pulling out the threaded the needle with practiced ease, surprising him as she managed it on the first try. "Like you said, we're running on limited supplies here." She dropped the bare spool in the medkit. "I'll have to go slow to suture the whole wound."

Zer0 soaked all this in and nodded. "Okay."

She scooted back from the edge of the bed and patted the spot in between her legs. "C'mere."

He nodded, stood up, and sat down in between her legs, face heating up at the warmth that pooled between their thighs. She wrapped an arm around his chest and pulled him close to her own. She halted once his back hit her breasts and slid her hand up to his shoulder, steadying him as he sat leaning against her, uncomfortable and off-balance.

The tip of the needle pressed against his skin, and a burning ache shot across his neck and shoulder. He clenched his teeth and curled his hands into fists in an effort to discharge and manage the pain. A tense second passed, the heavy and quick thundering of his heart in his ears. Without warning, Athena thrusted the needle into his skin and began to suture the wound shut.

The pain was iron hot, forcing him to hold his breath while his mouth stayed achingly glued shut. In and out the needle went, slow and unhurried in its wake. The pull of his torn flesh caused him to flinch. He wasn't usually _this_ sensitive to pain, and he again cursed the lack of adrenaline in his blood. He squeezed his eyes after a particularly painful stab into against his injury.

"Almost..." Athena assured as the word slipped out slowly, punctuating it was another pull of the thread.

Another minute passed, but it felt like an eternity. It was the snipping of scissors that caught Zer0's attention, as she quickly cut the thread and tied the two pieces together into a careful knot. He could feel something warm and sticky on her fingers as she committed herself to finishing the job - his blood.

There was movement off to the side, which he only assumed to be her wiping her hands on the ripped off bed covers and blankets. They needed a good washing anyways, so why not use them to mop up blood? The coarse, bullymong fur blanket brushed against his shoulder a moment later as she carefully dabbed it along the recently closed wound, mopping up blood as she went.

There was silence between the two of them as Athena worked, similar to his time working on her leg. Without noticing, he found himself gently slipping off the edge into slumber as the soft, but firm presses of her fingers massaged tense muscles and relaxed his state of mind. His eyes closed and head leaned back against her shoulder, giving her more access to his wound, while providing him with a more comfortable position to drift off. Her warmth was a great catalyst for drowsiness.

"Do you have anything else?" Athena murmured into his ear.

He shrugged nonchalantly, felt a rumble against his back and hot breath blow on his neck - a sigh. There was a brief moment of stillness.

What didn't awaken him from his daze was her hands moving away from his wound. What did was her hands moving away from his wound and slowly down his chest.

Zer0's eyes immediately shot open and his breathing hitched. Not because of the shock of the situation he found himself in, but because of the slight ticklish feeling her calloused fingers produced as they trailed his skin and muscles in search of other cuts, scrapes, and bruises, similar to what he had done to her earlier. They stopped above his waistline and he felt her shift behind him, sitting up more and straightening her back.

"Scoot forward," she ordered as her hands slid towards his slides.

Zer0 did so and sat at the edge of the bed. Her hands slowly moved up his back, thumbs applying the gentlest of pressure along his spine. She stopped once she reached his shoulder blades, fingertips barely hitching over the slope of his shoulders.

"Okay, I think you're good." Zer0 felt as though he could hear the smile in her voice.

A relieved sigh involuntarily escaped through his nose. He straightened himself and pushed the palms of his hands down on the bed, ready to stand up and-

Athena's hands grasped his shoulders, forcing him to stay put. Curious, he turned his head to look at her.

She was staring blankly at his back. Her eyes were lifeless, and it seemed she was in a daze.

"Athena?" he asked quietly.

She blinked once, twice, thrice. Her eyebrows furrowed and her eyes closed. The hands at his shoulders slid around his front and her arms wrapped around his chest, pulling him back and into her.

"Just... just let me..." she trailed off.

Zer0 gulped and looked down at her arms. They were tight around him, locking him in a grip that he wouldn't dare break; even if he'd wanted to. He cleared his throat, casually lifted a hand, and held onto one of her forearms. There was lengthy silence now between them; calming and how they still had a childlike awkwardness around each other upon acts such as these, despite their fortified closeness. Nonetheless, he tightened his grip on her arm and smiled. This hadn't been the first time Athena had done this, and he decided then and there that it would not be the last. Looking around, the medkit caught his eye, and hooking it with his free hand he pulled it towards him and began counting off what needed to be restocked. He felt her head turn to watch him work.

There was an unsurprising shortage of thread, and the needle had to be replaced soon. The single roll of gauze left made him scowl and curse under his breath; that was the number one priority to find tomorrow. Other than that, antibacterial spray, antibiotics, and Aspirin, if it could be found, were lower on the list. Something else was tossed in while he recounted the prioritized items in his head- the bruising cream that he had used on Athena.

"Thought we might need more," Athena commented as he picked up the tube.

Zer0 considered for a moment and nodded in agreement. It would make obvious sense to find more if they could given how horrifically bruised and marred they usually were after a day such as this.

"Smart move, Athena," he complimented her and dropped it into the medkit. He closed it with ease and slipped his hand off her arm, pushing his palm against the bed to ready himself to sit up. "You need to let me go now. I need to get up."

She sighed against him, appearing to be reluctant in allowing him to leave the bed. It took a couple moments, but her arms finally slackened and slid down his torso. He smiled and stood up, feeling Athena lazily hook a finger into his belt as if to stop him, which it didn't.

"Let's get some rest now," he announced as he set the kit on his table alongside his dirty suit.

He quickly scanned over it and felt both relieved and disgusted. Relieved at how there were no tears in the leather, but disgusted at the thick, glossy green goo that filled every crack along its exterior. He pondered for a moment, but dismissed all thoughts of cleaning - or rather _attempting _to clean it until tomorrow.

"Hey," Athena called behind him.

Zer0 turned his head to the side to acknowledge her. She was propped up on elbows and her eyes fluttered from his to his suit. "We'll clean it tomorrow while we're in the Highlands."

He nodded and rubbed his eyes, fatigue finally setting in. "Yeah, sounds like a solid plan."

"Better be. I don't wanna go out right now while we're already home."

Zer0 paused.

_Home._

He turned around completely and faced her. She had already flipped over to face the wall, not noticing the effect that word had on him.

"You comin' to bed?" she asked over her shoulder.

"Yeah..." he nodded to punctuate his word. "Yeah, I'm coming."

_Coming home to you..._

**Author's Note: Beta-read by CGAdam. I've decided that the next chapter will be the last for this story. No, this does not mean I will quit writing about this pairing. I haven't completely decided what I'm doing yet, but I'm definitely not stopping. Anyways, thank you for reading. **


	16. Chapter 16

Zer0 was nervous, but he dared not show it.

His stationary stance in the grass of the Highlands only further served to fuel it. While he found himself anxiously tapping his fingers against his arm or shifting from one leg to the other, he didn't allow any more visible hints as to what was currently causing his heart to race and skin burn.

He had set a plan in motion, one that he found himself almost wanting to take it back. There were two outcomes: good or bad, but it was more like joyful or horrendous. The thought of the horrendous outcome sent bile crawling up his esophagus, and he swallowed it back down with difficulty. There was no reason to feel so on edge, but his nerves obviously thought otherwise.

Clearing his throat, he looked around to see if he could spot the familiar short, red figure approaching from afar, but with no luck.

_Where is Athena?_

He had called her a quarter of an hour ago to meet him, but she hadn't arrived yet. It was probably just paranoia, but maybe she had figured out his plan and decided to work against him to see it- _them_ fail. It was a ridiculous plan anyways. One most likely bound to fail. This thought alone caused him to dread the outcome. Despite this, he had to try. He _wanted _it to happen, to work. Yearned, craved, desired for it to.

Thinking about this made him chuckle. This woman truly had drastically changed him.

Zer0 looked around again, this time spotting a Runner coming up along the road. It braked and Athena got out, clearly having noticed him before he did to her.

The bile in his stomach surged to his throat again, and again he forced it down. She sauntered over to him, observing their surroundings.

"Hey," she greeted as she finally reached his side.

He nodded in greeting, finding himself at lost for words.

_Of all the times I can't speak..._

She looked around again and whistled forlornly. "There's not that much to kill around here. I'm disappointed." She looked back up at him. "That's why you called me out here, right?"

He stared at her and blinked. "Yeah- well, n- maybe..."

Athena raised an eyebrow at his stuttering and looked concerned at him. "Is everything alright?"

"Why wouldn't it be?" A weak, flickering ':)' glowed on his mask.

She looked suspiciously at him. "Zer0, I've known you for months. I _know _when something's bothering you." She reached out and took his hand in hers. "What's wrong?"

He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "Nothing is wrong, Athena. Everything is fine."

She looked as if she were going to press, but decided not to. After a moment of silence, her eyes lit up and she smiled playfully at him. Without slipping her hand out of his, she sat down, pulling him with her. He landed with a _thump! _on the ground next to her and grunted, tailbone groaning in protest. He looked over at her to say something, but noticed the distant look in her eyes as she seemed lost in thought.

Not speaking a word, they sat there until the midday's sun began to dip below the mountaintops and the cliffs. Zer0 reached up mechanically and undid the clasps to his mask, pulled it off, and dropped it in between his legs. The motion was barely acknowledged by her; he doubted she noticed. She was lost in her own world for the moment, and he didn't wish to pull her from it. They rarely ever got a quiet moment outside the sanctum of his- _their _apartment. Even in their home, the bustle of the city often disrupted it; the hum of the engines, music from Moxxi's Bar, yells or whispers from its citizens, all broke it.

"We rarely get moments like this."

Zer0 turned to face her, noticing the warm happiness in her eyes that only served to emphasize the grin on her lips. It was almost as if she had read his mind.

"Yeah, we rarely do," he agreed.

"How long do you think we can put up with it?" Her grin turned into a playful smirk. "A day? Two?"

He shrugged and chuckled. They weren't well-known for their patience outside of battle, but they been slowly growing better at it. Days could pass by without word or whine of wanting to kill while recovering from injury, something of which he had previously not thought possible.

Athena pointed towards the horizon, sitting up in her spot. "I, uh... never noticed how pretty it is." She blushed, as if realizing how random she sounded at the moment. "You know. The Highlands during the evening."

He chuckled and nodded, scratching the back of his neck and looking at the setting sun. The light reflected off the minerals in the mountainsides, giving off shades of purple, yellow, orange, and red. It was breathtaking, even if his eyes started to tear up from the exposure of the brilliant light. His hand was squeezed, and he looked over to see Athena was just as entranced as he previously was, mouth open slightly.

"Yeah, it's very beautiful." Zer0 turned his attention back to the horizon and squeezed her hand. "Beautiful indeed."

Even though he didn't have his eyes on her, he felt as though she was smiling. The small upwards curve of her lips painted a picture in his mind that he could not push back or erase. He swallowed nervously.

He looked down at his feet and blinked the dark speckles away from his vision. He shifted in his position, clearing his throat as if to dissipate the silence that hung over them for once. The quietness only allowed his thoughts to run rampant, further worrying him and making him more fearful.

Athena turned to look at him. "Are you sure you're okay?" She reached out with her free hand and clasped his upper arm, squeezing with reassurance. "You're a little jumpy."

"Yeah, I'm fine, 'Thena." He nodded and produced a fake smile. "I'm one hundred percent fine."

Her eyes narrowed in suspicion, scanning over his face. Even though he lacked the ability to blush, he felt his face and the back of his neck heat up.

"Zer0..."

He looked down to avoid her gaze as she set her eyes on his, afraid that she would figure it out by reading his eyes. What was it? "The eyes were the windows to the soul"? Well, he definitely wasn't taking any chances.

Athena scooted closer until their hips bumped. She let go of his hand and reached up to cup his face, turning it to face hers. Her hand was rough and calloused, but warm and soft at the same time, and it sent shivers down his spine for a partially known reason. Her eyes glistened in the dwindling light, highlighting the ocean of colors that made up her iris. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but paused. Their eyes stayed locked on with each others.

Zer0 could feel a change in the wind, one that he was sure Athena felt also.

Her thumb gently, slowly caressed his cheekbone, the pad smooth against his skin. Her hand slid off his face, down his neck, stopping and grasping his shoulder, her eyes still locked to his. Nervously, he reached up and cupped her face, hesitant in the action. She seemed to not resist, so he stroked her cheek.

It was then that he decided. Swallowing, he murmured, "I'm gonna kiss you."

Athena didn't seem phased by the statement, and instead jerked her head slightly as if to beckon him forward.

That's exactly what he did.

Her lips were unexpectedly soft and warm, unlike the dry, chapped thoughts he had before. Her hand returned to his face, pulling him closer. He wrapped his free arm around her waist in response, and pulled her against him. They moved against each other slowly, in no rush in the dimming light of the sun. He moved his hand up and down her back, feeling her shiver beneath his palm.

It wasn't until Athena pulled away, gasping for air, that he realized how long they had stayed like that. Zer0 scooted back a few inches, and released his hold on her, awkwardly clearing his throat.

"I'm sorry, I shou-"

Quicker than he imagined, she reached out, grabbed onto the sides of his head, and pulled him back down. He was taken back in surprise, but soon relaxed back into the softness of her lips, leaning towards her and closing his eyes. He felt her grasp his ears, then his cheeks as she pulled him. The kiss melted into a series of quick pecks, each one a tad longer than the previous one, until he finally leaned away to catch the breath that had escaped him.

Athena seemed no better as her chest heaved up and down. She still refused to let go of his face, though he wouldn't complain. Even through her gloves he felt the heat radiating off the palms of her hands.

"That was..." she began, blushing and looking down at the ground.

He leaned away and out of her grasp, scratching the back of his neck, but grinning sheepishly all the same. "Yeah."

Athena leaned up at him, and he saw embarrassment on her face, but warmth in her eyes. She studied him for a time, eyes gliding over his features and glazing in thought.

"That was _nice_," she finally said. "Uh.. great, really." She sat up and determinedly looked directly into his eyes. "I liked it."

The weight that had been on his shoulders for weeks lifted off in that instant. Everything felt lighter, and he sighed in relief. Worrying about it had gnawed away at him to the point where it was difficult to sleep at night, especially knowing she was usually right behind him with her arms holding him.

"That's good to know, Athena."

A silence that he had not anticipated settled over them as a they both ran out of words. Occasionally, he would glance up at her between staring at the ground to see she was doing the same, not knowing what the next move was just like him. While the kiss, or kisses, had turned out great, the deafening silence was not. They had never been good with words, and now that it was important to say something, they couldn't.

Athena opened her mouth as if to speak, then closed it and contorted her face in confusion, not knowing what to do or say just like him. Zer0 honestly felt a little helpless in his lack of ability on what the next move should be. He bit the inside of his cheek and began to chew in thought, ignoring the sting from his carnivorous molars.

"What are we now?"

The question caught his attention, and he turned to look at her in confused agreement. That truly was the ultimate question that they had asked months before, but never received a definite answer. Now, with the events that had unfolded minutes before, it had been brought up again, and for plausible reason. _What were they now?_ They had passed the threshold of simple acquaintances long ago, so there was little point in dwelling on that topic. However, now...

Sighing, he said, "I truly don't know." He averted his eyes from her as she turned to look at him. "What is it you want to be?" He gulped and let out a half-hearted chuckle. "Partners? Friends? _Lovers_?"

From the corner of his eye, he could see her face lighten up a tad bit at the mention of "lovers". He noted this and looked over at her.

"Lovers?" he asked, not even bothering to keep any hopefulness out of his tone. If she apparently liked the idea, then he wouldn't hide that he liked- no, _adored _it as well. The thought of them having such a relationship had ran through his mind constantly in the weeks leading up to this moment. To know that she was pondering it, maybe even agreeing with it, caused there to be butterflies in his stomach.

"Well, I..." Athena trailed off, biting her lip. "Do you want to be?"

"I can't deny it."

She stayed still for a few seconds, staring at him with a blank expression before a smile broke out on her face. In one of the few times since he'd known her, her shoulders relaxed as an invisible weight lifted off them, and a happy sigh escaped through her nose. She ran her fingers through her hair, chuckling in a bashful way that had him grinning like a teenager.

"Really?" she asked.

Zer0 nodded and reached over to grab her hand, squeezing it reassuringly. "Seriously, Athena. I want nothing more."

Her face lit up in pink as she grabbed her scarf and covered her mouth, unsuccessfully attempting to cover the smile that she couldn't seem to escape. It was infectious enough to cause his own.

"What would you say if I wanted to be also?" Her sudden whisper was muffled through the faded black fabric.

Zer0's smile widened, and he leaned down to kiss her cheek, noticing how the blush on her face grew darker. "Then I would say this: 'Athena, be my girlfriend?'"

She coughed and let the scarf drop from her face, rubbing the back of her neck. "'Be my girlfriend?' How blunt can you be at times?"

"What else can I say?" He leaned into her ear. "You've always liked it."

She shivered and playfully pushed him away, turning away from him. Even without seeing her face, he could tell she was in thought. About what, he couldn't tell, but his optimism stayed. For a few minutes, there was no movement from her. Finally, she reached up and took off her scarf, surprising him as it was the first time she had ever willingly done so out in the open, away from privacy. She balled it in her hand a few times before folding both ends and stretching it until there was about a foot of fabric between both hands. His curiosity peaked, and he found himself leaning over her shoulder to-

_Crack!_

It was tiny, barely audible over the winds of the Highlands, but it caught Zer0 off-guard enough to turn his head to pinpoint the location of the sound. Before he had a chance, something warm and soft hook the back of his head, and he found himself being pulled into Athena's face.

He sighed and blissfully closed his eyes as he kissed her once more. Her hands still pulled the scarf against him, keeping him locked against her lips, which he wouldn't complain about. He enjoyed it _far_ too much to force himself away.

"I've been wanting to do that for so long," Athena commented as she pulled away and loosened her grip on her scarf.

"You and me both, Athena."

She grinned and leaned forward to touch foreheads with him, the blush on her face gone as her confidence flared to life again. It was this silent agreement and confirmation at their newly established relationship that made him close his eyes. The sound of the Highlands filled his ears; a deep, contented peace filled his mind.

And in his nose, the smell of cinnamon.

**(A/N): And done! I'm rather surprised that the story got this large. Go figure. This all started with a ship that I had loved for many months and the scientifically proven "sleeping next to someone who you barely knew creates an amount of trust like you had known each other for years" hypothesis. **

**Anyways, like I've said before, I'm not done writing about these two. I enjoy it far too much to just stop after this story. My plan is to go to the first half of this story and try to fix all the chapters to the best of my ability. I haven't decided yet because it feels overdone, but I might make a little collection of short stories that I've written in the past few months (which I probably will end up doing regardless), and keep updating it as I write each one.**

**As a final note, this chapter was read by CGAdam. Thank for you reading this story! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I've been writing it.**


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